


Climactic Galactic

by S00ty



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Abuse, Backstory, Blood and Injury, Brainwashing, Child Abuse, Creepy, Death, Dehumanization, Honestly it's not as bad as it seems but I'm trying to tag like every single thing, If you have any more suggested tags please let me know!, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, Mind Control, Past Brainwashing, Verbal Abuse, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-11 04:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 48,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10455489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S00ty/pseuds/S00ty
Summary: Shivu is a young boy who has yet to get his first Pokemon- but when Team Galactic steals something important belonging to his friend Barry, Shivu tries to get it back but ends up in Team Galactic's base! When the Team learn of Shivu's friendship with Barry and his father Palmer they see an opportunity and soon Shivu finds himself a reluctant member.





	1. Stuck in a Truck!

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on fanfiction.net under the same name and author! :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which introductions begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I finally worked up the courage to post a fanfiction *parties like it's 1999*
> 
> So, this isn't my first fanfiction (in fact it must about my 20th or so) but it's the first written Pokemon-related fanfiction I've ever posted online :3
> 
> Now, a few Copyrights...
> 
> If you know me on deviantART my name is Sooty123 and, yes, I do use the main character in this story (Shivu) there as well in my Pokemon Black and White Comic (named "Counting Stars" after the great song :D) like, in this story, as a human.
> 
> Shivu's wolf counterpart also appears as the main character in the separate series World of Wolves (gold star for my creative names)
> 
> Now, this story is meant to take place 4 years before the events of the Counting Stars and is completely unrelated, as with Counting Stars, to World of Wolves.
> 
> Since, then, Shivu's human-self is actually based off of his wolf-self I have given him attributes of an animal- you'll see later he growls and cowers down when he's scared and bites and so forth (I hope that's not too strange for you guys ^^; I kinda like putting these attributes on my characters :D)
> 
> Although I've classed the story in the manga world it sort of varies- the story is a mix between the anime, game and manga as well as my own additions here and there.
> 
> I may have swapped the characters personalities around a little- mostly you'll find a lot of the stuff in here revolves around Pokemon Adventures so just bear with me ;D
> 
> If you notice any mistakes or plot-holes, please let me know ^-^ I'm here to learn and improve, after all- although I've tried to proof-read it to the best of my ability :D
> 
> Bear in mind, however, I do tend to mix my UK spelling with American spelling- this is just to make it reader-friendly and means we're probably going to both understand it better x3
> 
> Also I've done my best not to use any colloquialism (sometimes I use it without even realising it) so if you see anything you don't understand also tell me- I'll try to fix it :D
> 
> Aaaanyway, without further ado ladies and gentlemen and everyone in-between I give you... POKEMON- CLIMACTIC GALACTIC (seriously, help me find a better name- I'm good at naming chapters... Not so good at naming stories!)

“Come on, Dad! Let’s go; it’s time to go so why aren’t we going?”  
The loud voice that sent a flock of Starly flapping hard out of their tree perches was that of Barry.  
Around his neck and flapping wildly because of his leaping about was his trademark green scarf he always wore.  
He was leaping around his father, Palmer, who was carrying a box out of his house- soon to be his old house. Palmer had the same blonde hair and orange eyes of his son but wore a long green coat and had a much calmer personality.  
It was moving day for the family and the last few boxes, including this one, were all ready to go.  
Barry looked around one last time as his old home; the house itself was a terrace with a small front garden that opened out on to the quiet road.  
Barry would have figured that this day would have been rather sad- after all, every bit of his childhood was spent living on this little row of houses near the country. However Barry had been excited about moving for months now.  
The main reason for his happiness walked out behind him. Shivu; he was Barry’s best friend and matched his age at 10.  
Shivu had blue spiky hair and wore a white and dark blue shirt along with a lighter blue scarf similar to Barry’s (it was Barry who had insisted they both were a scarf to symbolise their friendship).  
Shivu was no quieter than Barry and was just as enthused about the move as he was, since Barry’s new house was right next to his in Twinleaf Town.  
Despite its name, the town could have been considered more of a village, as it only contained a handful of houses at best. However, the buildings were much larger and detached so both boys would have much more room to play about.  
“Yeah, come on!” Shivu grinned, “Let’s go, go, go! Alons-y, vamos a ir, hebu kwenda!”  
Palmer rolled his eyes good naturedly, “Alright mister multilingual- how about être calme?”  
Shivu shook his head, “No way; don’t tell me to be calm!”  
“Shivu, ‘calme’ means ‘quiet’ not literally calm,” replied Palmer pushing the box into a white van that was parked outside.  
“Either or,” snorted Shivu, “I don’t want to be quiet or calm! What I want is to be on the move!”  
Palmer shook his head, “I just have a few more boxes to get, and then we can leave. Why don’t you hop into the back of the van, Shivu? I’ll leave you home.”  
Shivu had begun to follow him back into the house, “Alright!” he bolted off down the path.  
Barry looked up at his father, “Then can we go?” he chirped.  
“Yes!” cried Palmer over-dramatically, “For the love of Arceus and all the plates; yes!”  
Shivu hopped over the closed gate and was about to get into the back of the van when he heard the rumbling of another vehicle approach from in front of Palmer’s.  
Shivu tipped his head and listened. Deciding it was just one of the neighbours he shrugged and hopped into the back then settled down amongst the many boxes piled there. He had just gotten cosy when he heard scuffling from the back of the truck.  
He opened his mouth to call a greeting and peered over the boxes expecting to find Palmer and Barry again; instead, however, he saw two very different people; a man and a woman.  
They were both dressed virtually identical; with turquoise bowl-cut hair, white shirts with a black stripe on either side and grey sleeves and leggings. On the centre of their shirts was a golden ‘G’, slightly slanted.  
They quickly jumped in and began snooping around. One pulled out what looked like a metal-detector and began scanning each of the boxes in turn.

It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for; the small device beeped and the two immediately ripped open the box and began checking the contents inside.  
Shivu was appalled; what did these people think they were doing?  
They pulled out a small rectangular box; they opened it and quickly checked the item inside before closing it and stowing it in a small bag that was slung over the man’s shoulder.  
Shivu found it odd that neither spoke, nor exchanged any form of communication yet they moved almost in complete unison, almost as if they were on some kind of autopilot.  
Together they turned and then they made their escape the way they’d come in.  
Shivu’s confused expression gave way to one of anger; no one stole from his friends! No matter that he didn’t know what exactly they’d stolen…  
He hopped from the van and followed the two stealthily to their truck- similar to their uniforms it was grey and bulky with the same golden ‘G’ on the sides.  
Oddly neither of the two noticed him creeping a few steps behind- they seemed completely focused on the task at hand, which seemed to be to put the small box in the back of the truck and to start the engine after getting into the cab.  
Shivu crouched at the front of truck as they got in and then crept to the back, keeping close to the sides so the driver wouldn’t see him.  
Shivu would have taken them on himself but even though he was 10 years old he wouldn’t get his first Pokémon till the following September (which was, in fact, Shivu’s 11th Birthday) when Professor Rowan had told him and Barry the next batch of starter eggs was due to hatch.  
Stopping at the truck’s bumper, Shivu was about to call Palmer for help when he caught sight of the bag, stowed in the back of the vehicle.  
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully; all he needed to do was grab the bag and run. Nobody really needed an adult’s help or even Pokémon for that.  
Quickly he scrambled in. He lifted the bag and was just about to turn away when he noticed the inside of the van beginning to darken.  
He looked around; he was sure the sky had been clear earlier so why was it…? He turned just in time to see the automatic door almost completely shut; the last crack of light was just visible.  
Shivu jolted, “Oh no!” he cried, leaping at the door but it was too late; he hit it with a bang and slid to the floor, his eyes crossed over.  
“Ow…” he winced, rubbing his head as he peered at the closed door; without any light entering now the truck had been plunged into almost complete blackness.  
Shivu whimpered; now he was in trouble.  
He pawed at the door, trying to get out. He didn’t want to let the two robbers know he was there or Arceus only knew what they’d do to him. He sat down heavily and sighed; then his only option was to stay put and “calme” as Palmer said until the truck stopped and the doors opened again. Then, he decided, he would take the bag; make his great escape and find help if necessary.  
It was a bumpy ride to his unknown destination; he was worried the duo already knew he was in the truck and were going to jump him instead as soon as they arrived. More than once the vehicle stopped for whatever reason (likely traffic lights or a turning) and Shivu’s over-active imagination had him believing they were coming round to get him; however each time it was nothing and Shivu would be left to wonder just where he would end up.  
Perhaps the van would board a ship and they would travel overseas; what then?  
Or maybe the two intended to drive the van over a cliff to throw the police off their trail?  
Or, worse still, what if something went wrong and the driver crashed sending Shivu into an early grave?  
He shook his head. These thoughts weren’t helping, he decided. He put his over-active imagination on hold and instead occupied himself by looking around; in the truck were a variety of wooden crates. Shivu peered at the label, finding it tricky to read in the dim light.  
He frowned; it looked like “CAUTION; LIVE POKÉMON” but surely that couldn’t be right? The crate lids were nailed down but Shivu had another way of checking; he held his own breath and listened carefully… “There!”  
He had read correctly because if he listened he could hear deep breathing coming from most all the crates around him.  
He reckoned the thieves had stolen Pokémon and must be planning to sell them on the black market. Shivu had often heard of these sorts of things on the news. A simple tranquiliser must have been keeping them quiet for the journey.  
Shivu waited for what felt like another whole day before the truck finally slowed and began trundling up a rough path. Shivu jolted as the sound of a man’s voice drifted through the walls of the vehicle.  
Shivu tried to decipher what he was saying but couldn’t understand a word of it; in fact, he was sure they weren’t even speaking English but even at that he couldn’t identify the language in which he spoke.  
The van began to move again but slower than before as it twisted around in an arc before finally the engine was switched off. Shivu stood up and slung the bag over his shoulder and around his head. It was time and Shivu’s heart was in his mouth from fear of the unknown that kay beyond the door.  
The van doors creaked opened with an ominous automatic whirring and Shivu braced himself as the moonlight, now it was dark outside as well as in, began to shine light into the darkness.  
“Ready…” Shivu thought with a gulp, “Set… GO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, mon compain (ma cherie)! So, you made it to the end? Good for you!
> 
> Shivu's quite the crazy little character isn't he? He's partly based on myself which... Probably isn't a good thing *shrug* ah well XD
> 
> How about some Trivia? (Totally not stolen from TrainerNaps no no)
> 
> * As stated above, Shivu is based on the main character of another of my creations World of Wolves in which he appears as a wolf- Shivu-wolf also appears in many other of my works, some of which have been posted on my deviantART. Because of this, I made Shivu's second name "Wolffe"
> 
> * Originally, I had Palmer tell Shivu to go to the back of the van and he would leave him home (as he does here) however Shivu accidentally went to Team Galactic's van and then very stupidly fell asleep in the back only to awaken later at their base and freak out. The mysterious item didn't exist in this draft.
> 
> I removed the idea because I thought it was simply too dumb to bear- Shivu's idiotic decision to try and get the item back without anyone's help was acceptable but being stupid enough to mistake one van for another when it had completely different things in the back was just inexcusable XD
> 
> * In Counting Stars Shivu is 14 (he is 10 in this story) and wears different clothes- in this story I tried to match his clothes somewhat to Barry's and Lucas' while also basing them on clothes I wore when I was this age.
> 
> * The story originally took place in Autumn and Shivu's age was 9 (since his and my Birthday is in Autumn) and he then had got his first Pokemon (a Turtwig) in a prologue but I got rid of the idea since Shivu needed to be completely defenseless when facing Team Galactic, not to mention having a Pokemon seemed to have no link to the story (barring a few worried mentions of his whereabouts from Shivu) so I thought it was just too un-needed. In case you're wondering, in the games anyway, my Turtwig is called Shatter (some idea I had that he would have some battle scars on his shell)
> 
> * The story was originally called "Enter Team Galactic!" but I decided it was too similar to the episode name "Enter Galactic!" and may put people off reading it.
> 
> *The chapter was originally called "Wrong Place, Wrong Van" in relation to Shivu getting into the wrong van but I changed it to its current name "Stuck in a Truck" for a variety of reasons- I wanted something that would be easily remembered and catchy too along with something that related to the chapter better. Also, I went with calling Palmer's moving van "the van" and Team Galactic's "the truck"
> 
> To me, truck sounds more... I don't know... bad...? Than van anyway (don't ask...)
> 
> *The languages Shivu uses are (in order) French, Portuguese and Swahili and they all simply mean "Let's go!" All were from Google Translate so I apologise if they're not grammatically correct :3
> 
> The languages are in relation to two counties I've visited and particularly liked (France and Portugal) and the third is in relation to my love for The Lion King :D
> 
> *Similarly, Palmer's words are "Be quiet" also in French.
> 
> *In the picture, you may notice the box Team Galactic are sifting through has a variety of books- these are all books I've read, or just things I thought were relevant to Barry and his family   
> They are (in no particular order) Varjak Paw, Pokemon Battle Strategies (a made-up book), 1984, An Awfully Beastly Business #1, Agent 21, Pokemon Care (another made-up book), Cooking Recipes (a generic titled but still imaginary book), and KS2 Maths- idk if there's an American equivalent for this but KS2 stands for 'Key Stage 2' and covers ages 7-11
> 
> -There's also a book that's slightly hidden- all you can see is "M" and "H" on it- it's supposed to be titled "Moving House" XD
> 
> -All the books that are real, I recommend checking out! :D


	2. READY SET GO!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shivu meets Team Galactic for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, hello again friend! So you made it to Chapter 2? Nice job!
> 
> I must wonder if it's my masterful suspense and writing that's brought you here or is it that this fanfic is bad enough to be labelled a comedy? XD
> 
> Anyway, in this chapter we will see some familiar Team Galactic faces! Onwards!

Back at home, Palmer had finished moving the last of the boxes. Not even remotely knowing what was going on, he assumed Shivu would still be in the back of the van.

So, Palmer patted the back to catch his attention, "Ready to go, Shivu?" he called as Barry closed the back doors.

Since the back of the van was now empty and there was no answer from Barry's friend, Palmer frowned. "Shivu?" he said, a little louder this time and accompanying his puzzled voice with a knock on the metal.

"Ah, don't worry Dad," grinned Barry with a carefree shrug, "He's probably fallen asleep; he was saying earlier he was tired,"

Palmer scratched his head in uncertainty but soon guessed that perhaps his son was right, "Guess so," he shook his head, "I would love to join him! Come on; we've got a long drive ahead of us,"

Completely convinced that everything was alright, and having no real reason to check up on Shivu since they had no suspicions that anything had gone on in the short time they were both in the house, the two jumped into the front and began the journey to their new home.

\----

"Ready… Set… GO!" and with that thought Shivu leapt forwards.

He heard a surprised bark from whoever had opened the doors and caught sight of a few people, all dressed like the original two he had met, who looked quite horrified to find an unfamiliar child leaping from their vehicle.

It wasn't long before they noticed the bag and as Shivu hit the ground, tumbled and then jumped up and ran he heard commanding shouts coming from behind him.

Shivu didn't stop; he kept sprinting, using his long legs to his advantage. Quickly he looked around to take in his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. The truck he had jumped out of was parked in a perfect line of some other empty ones on a tarmac strip- beyond that, covering the whole compound he was in was short, neat grass.

Around everything and dividing the area from the outside city which Shivu could just about see was barbed mesh fencing.

A yellow sign indicated it was electrified so Shivu began heading for the gate at the front. But as he reached it, it rattled shut thanks to the guard who stood in the control box a little off to the side. Shivu didn't waste a second thinking; instead he turned and bolted in the other direction and thought hard about where to run to next as he ran away from his pursuers.

He glanced around the rest of the area; in the centre was a huge building with spikes up the side.

It was an ominous sort of building, dark and gloomily painted grey. The windows were all blacked out; mirrored only on the outside.

Shivu gulped as he realised someone could see the commotion inside the building and alert backup without him even knowing about it; until it was too late, of course.

In the hopes of countering this he moved closer to the building so that anyone looked directly down wouldn't be able to see him and darted along the path that went all the way around the structure and kept to the shadows hoping (and failing) to lose his pursuers.

He dived around the back; here there were a few trees and bushes, adding plain decoration to the yard and Shivu quickly dived under one before his chasers came round the corner after him.

Shivu turned and crawled backwards, retreating deeper into the darkness the bush provided. He watched quietly as the people who had been chasing him slowed down and began creeping around as they searched for him. Some sent out Pokémon to sniff him out.

It was at that point Shivu had a horrible realisation; he wasn't going to get out of this one.  
When they found him then they would find the bag as well. He wasn't sure yet what was inside it but something deep down told him it was extremely important they didn't get to it.

Quickly, Shivu began digging in the dirt; once he had dug an adequate hole he shoved the bag inside and shovelled the dirt back over.

He vigorously rubbed his hands on his jeans to remove the mud so as the people after the mysterious item wouldn't guess what exactly he'd done with it.

His strange enemies were approaching now so Shivu took a deep, terrified breath and scooted out from the bushes; he needed to lure them away now.

Behind him, a shout rang out and he soon heard the pursuit of a person and a Pokémon hot on his tail.

Shivu figured he could use the darkness to help him hide but this presumption was soon diminished as the compound was suddenly alive with blinding light.

Shivu flinched as he realised that if everyone who was here, both outside and in, couldn't see him before, they sure could now. He glanced behind him to see three people chasing him now along with two Pokémon; a Zubat and a Mightyena.

He increased speed but was so occupied with his pursuers that he didn't watch where he was stepping.

SNAP!

Shivu howled in pain and tumbled to the ground. He looked down to where a searing pain coursed up his leg; clamped around and drawing blood was something Shivu didn't think he'd ever see but on television; a leg-hold trap.

Its vicious metal teeth were sunk deep into his leg and the trap itself was pegged firmly into the ground.

The three strange people approached, along with three more on Shivu's other side- who had apparently ran around the building in order to cut him off. Shivu pulled away from them in terror which only succeeded in making the injury worse as the spikes tore down his leg.

Frankly Shivu, at the time, didn't give a damn about his pain; he only wanted to get away from these strange people. Up close he could sense something off about them; he realised they were all dressed the same as the two in the van but apart from that none of them displayed any emotions in either their facial expressions or the strange manner in which they spoke.

There was something very unnatural about them and Shivu's fear got the better of him; he forgot about his main objective to lead them away from the bag and instead worried about saving himself.

Shivu backed off as far as the chain would let him, fright and panic sparking around his body. He growled, warning them to back off.

They either didn't listen or didn't care (Shivu presumed the latter) because in unison, all six of them grabbed him and dragged him to his feet- or rather foot since Shivu kept his injured leg behind him.

One of the girls said something in their bizarre language and gestured to the trap. She bent down and examined Shivu's wound, despite Shivu's best attempts to hide it from her. The girl sighed and took a tool from her belt, pulled the peg from the ground then gave an order to the others, pointing to the building.

It was obvious she wanted Shivu inside but he didn't want to be near these people and certainly didn't want to be inside their creepy tower block so he began to struggle wildly, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

His efforts didn't amount to much and the group easily dragged him into the building.

Inside was no more bright and colourful than outside; the same stony grey colour followed them along the walls and floors, differing only in shade. In fact the only colour Shivu saw at all was the large golden 'G' that was imprinted into the tiles at the front entrance. Other than that the building was void of anything. Shivu assumed it was some kind of organisation; hence the uniforms they all wore, but surely such a place would have pictures of the employees, certificates of achievements or any other sort of framed things upon the walls?

Although, he guessed as he glanced at the people around him, one could simply copy-and-paste an image of one person and it would pass for them all; apart from the dull colours of their eyes Shivu could barely tell the difference between those who walked him through this bizarre place and the ones he'd met earlier.

Through the maze of corridors, into a lift, through more corridors and to a door; after all this Shivu felt almost disorientated.

The door was inscribed in a strange dialect which, in a second-long break in his tossing and turning, Shivu guessed was probably the written version of the language that the strange people spoke.

One of them let go of where they were holding a clump of his hair and knocked on the door.

After a while a voice from inside said something that Shivu presumed was "come in". Shivu was dragged inside and thrown to the ground. Three of the six people left, not being needed and closed the door behind them.

Shivu scrambled upright and looked around; he was in some kind of break room. On either side of the room were three-seater sofas; at the far end a kitchen. Despite its dull colouration, the room had a look to it like an apartment but the vibe was all different; this place may have been designed to look homely but it had every feeling of being otherwise.

In the corner, there was a young man who was wearing similar attire to the people surrounding Shivu; when he turned his head he saw he had dark blue hair fashioned into two spikes.

A look of surprise crossed his face when he saw Shivu trembling on the floor with blood dripping from the multiple puncture wounds on his leg.

"Who is this?" he asked, curiosity shining in his eyes as he turned around on his heel and came over.

Although he was relieved that at least someone in this mad place spoke English, Shivu was still consumed with fear and he gulped and shuffled backwards, his injured leg dragging in front of him.

The woman holding the peg stepped up beside him and explained in the odd dialect what had happened. She gestured around her side as if miming the bag Shivu had taken from the van.

But then she shrugged and said something that must have been, "But he doesn't have it now,"

Throughout her speech she kept using the words "Commander Saturn" and so Shivu surmised this must be this man's name or, rather, his codename of sorts.

Saturn narrowed his eyes, "I see…" he said to the girl. He walked over to Shivu and bent down on his haunches, making Shivu lean backwards as far as he could manage.

"What's your name, boy?" he asked.

Shivu didn't respond.

"I said 'what's your name'?" Saturn repeated, bending down on one knee, moving closer. Shivu tried to twist round and run but the two people behind him grabbed his arms and held him down.

"Hmm…" Saturn said, "I can see you're scared; and you're not listening to reason."

Shivu tried to stand up but, out of habit, he put his injured leg underneath him and ended up crying out and collapsing to the ground again.

Saturn narrowed his eyes at the trap, still clamped around Shivu's leg; "Perhaps it's your wound that is making you panic so?" he stood up and paced thoughtfully, "In that case, you three, shall we bring him to see Doctor Charon?" The three nodded eagerly and Shivu looked up worriedly; he didn't much like doctors, and he certainly didn't want to see one related to this weird syndicate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes Chapter 2! I hope I can get the further chapters up relatively quick because I have up to Chapter 15 written; all just needs to be proof read! :3
> 
> I don't know if you enjoyed the trivia before but I, for one, find it fascinating so I'm going to do it again!
> 
> *The Team Galactic Commander's personalities vary somewhat from the games (as I stated previously, I take elements from all worlds- mangas, anime and my own) you may not notice much off now but later you'll see how I've played around a little.
> 
> * Fun fact; I am actually terrified of doctors. I didn't used to be until I was getting blood taken once and hadn't eaten anything but the doctor said I'd be fine; all well and good till I nearly passed out xD thus creating a fear of needles. Doctors tend to be related to needles so there you go XD
> 
> *If you're wondering if Shivu looks anything like me he doesn't; apart from his build (the way I draw him anyway) I have brown hair with a dyed blonde fringe and green eyes with a hazel birthmark. Although I do mention a few times that Shivu has "distinctive eyes" in relation to what people tend to say about mine.
> 
> *I did originally call the trap for what it is which was a "steel trap" but Looney Tunes has kinda ruined that name for me ("Jaws as powerful as a steel trap" was something I used a lot for silly monsters I made up as a kid) so I used the term "leg hold trap" which isn't entirely wrong but if you Google the image it'll bring up a more humane trap.
> 
> -I don't know why Team Galactic has these in their base; especially as they seem to have a habit of dim-lighting at night time. I'm sure Shivu isn't going to be Charon's first patient for accidently walking into one.
> 
> *"What's up with the Grunts?" you ask? You'll see later but if you can't wait till then go and look up Team Galactic in Pokémon Adventures!


	3. Treated, Tricked and Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Charon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another Chapter proof-read and ready for uploading! I apologise for my lack of updates; we've had quite a busy few days!  
> Anyway, here is Chapter 3! In advance, I apologise for Shivu's stupidity here- he IS a 10-year-old and no less a 10-year-old based on myself so 2+2= idiot in this case xD
> 
> Also I can't stand to see characters calmly let the bad guys do what they want with quiet rebellion (I'm talking to you My wunderwaffle iz missin! [author of Soul Flare here on FF] but damn you know how to write)
> 
> As usual any mistakes, plot-holes or anything you think I could improve on let me know!

Saturn led the way down more corridors. Shivu was feeling eyesore from all the dull colours he was subject to by the time they arrived at their destination. More of the strange dialect printed on the door, Shivu noted; there was no doubt this was some kind of language.

Inside was some kind of lab- grey again, though thankfully a much lighter shade. It was a fairly large room with benches lining the edge that were covered with science equipment of all kinds.

Evidently, the lab also served as a first aid room since there was a doctor's examination table in the centre and a metal tray filled with tools of the healing trade. Shivu was on-edge when he came in but when he caught sight of a shorter man laying out surgical equipment his heart-rate spiked.

He didn't want to find out what this 'Commander Saturn' guy had in store for him here so he began to thrash wildly from side to side.

The shorter man, like everyone else, bore the uniform of silver, grey and white. Unlike all he had met so far, however, he wore a white doctor's coat. His hair was pale mauve and he sported a pair of magenta-tinted glasses; Shivu presumed this was Charon.

Quietly, Saturn explained what was going on and ordered Charon to treat Shivu's wound.

Charon looked a little mortified. "Help him?" he said, "He's a thief; an intruder! Why would I help him?"

"Good!" Shivu thought, "I don't want to be helped anyway; I just want to get out of here!"

Shivu tried to pull away not much wanting any more pain caused to him by someone doctoring his wound.

Saturn gave an un-amused sigh through his nose, "Charon, I'm not asking I'm ordering." he lowered his voice so Shivu couldn't hear, "Perhaps if we imply we are good people and treat this kid like a guest he will voluntarily tell us where the bag is."

Charon raised an eyebrow, "And if he doesn't?"

Saturn shrugged, "Then we drop the act and make him tell us,"

Charon pondered over this for some time before saying, "Fine," Unenthusiastically he made his way over to Shivu, "I'll help him,"

Shivu was incredibly grateful to see Charon leaving his sharp instruments at the table but still not happy to see him go with Saturn's demand.

Charon leant down to Shivu with a grunt of annoyance as his old knees clicked in protest. The woman who held the chain dropped the peg at the doctor's request and held his leg still. Shivu jerked and tried to get away and Charon cocked an eyebrow at him and muttered; "Kid, I haven't even started yet…" then he reached forward and carefully prised the jaws of the trap off of Shivu's leg.

Shivu winced and twisted in agony. Muttering, "Keep still!" impatiently, the man pulled down a medical kit from the table and pulled out a pair of scissors before snipping away the tattered parts of Shivu's jeans. After that, he began to clean and bandage the wound.

"Now," said Charon when he was finished, "that's done." he stood up and exchanged a glance with Saturn wondering where to go with the conversation.

Saturn cleared his throat, "Don't look so terrified, boy; we mean you no harm," he said as he began to step towards him.

Shivu clearly didn't believe him as he drew himself away in fear.

"Honestly," Saturn slowed his walk and held up his hands, "Look, if we had meant you any harm we wouldn't have helped you," he gestured to his bandaged leg, "Would we?"

Shivu glanced down and up again.

"You could at least reply," muttered Charon, turning around and heading over to the benches again.

Saturn was still waiting for his answer patiently.

A witty reply came to him and despite the fear not leaving he decided to give it a shot, even though this man had an air about him that said he wasn't to be messed with.

"If you don't mean me any harm," Shivu croaked, his voice becoming stronger as he spoke, "Then why don't you let me go?"

"So he can talk!" barked Charon with fake amazement.

Saturn ignored him and glanced down for a second while he thought up his answer but it was Charon who replied, "Anyway, kid, if we let you leave with an injury like that you would have been in big trouble; especially if it got infected."

Saturn half-smiled and gestured to Charon, "Exactly my point," he said, "we wouldn't want you getting even more hurt,"

Shivu was finding some confidence now, "Then why not release me now I've been treated?" he growled, "Why chase me in the first place?"

Saturn raised his eyebrows and immediately responded, "Why steal things that rightfully belong to us?"

Shivu snarled and pulled against his captors, "Whatever's in that bag didn't belong to you! It belongs to my friends and you know it!"

Saturn's eyes lit up. "Your friends?" he drawled, "So you know Palmer and Barry do you?"

Shivu instantly realised he'd said too much and clamped his mouth shut. Saturn grinned when he realised he was right, "If you won't tell us about the bag then what can you tell me about them?" he came forward and bent over the boy, "Where they're living perhaps?"

Shivu turned away stubbornly.

"Hmm…" Saturn turned to Charon, "I think our…" he paused, looking for the right word, "guest should stay here for a few days while we keep an eye on that wound, don't you?"

Shivu whipped back around in horror.

Charon turned in surprise, "That won't be necessary…" he began but a sharp look from Saturn had him quickly changing his tune, "…To release him, I mean," Charon forced a crooked smile, "Boy, your wound may be more serious than at first glance. Better for you to stay here; you could have…" he rolled his hand, "…narcolepsy or something." He had tried to think of a complicated medical term Shivu wouldn't understand; since narcolepsy was actually a sleep disorder he hoped that would work.

Shivu tipped his head at the unfamiliar word but jumped upwards, fighting against the two who held him, "No way!" he cried, "I'm getting out of here!"

"Oh no, you're not," said Saturn, grinning. He softened his tone and spoke as if to a much younger child, "We're only doing this for your own good you know,"

He looked up to the three members and said, in their incomprehensible language, "Bring him to one of the over-night treatment rooms. Make sure you lock the door."

Of course to Shivu this just sounded like gobbledygook but he didn't like the manner in which Saturn had spoken and made a big show of kicking, pulling and snapping at the members as they led him down the hallways.

They pushed him into a room in which lay a bedside table and a hospital bed with white covers. Shivu felt like if he saw anymore of that horrible grey colour, he would deliberately take some crayons and simply scribble all over them.

But that was the least of his worries right now; two of them shoved Shivu down into the bed while another tested the lock on the door to ensure it was working.

Shivu kicked one of them in the chest as they backed off, making him double over but, apart from mild pain, he displayed no emotion to the gesture.

Once they left they did as Saturn had ordered and locked the door. Shivu battered at the door for quite some time before sighing and hanging his head in annoyance, "Guest indeed!" he muttered, "If this is how they treat their guests I'd hate to see how they treat their enemies…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, poor Shivu! What will become of my—err, I mean OUR favourite character?
> 
> Is it interesting that Shivu doesn't have a clue who or what Team Galactic is? I'm never sure if that was a good idea or not but I didn't want to have the whole "I'm the bad guy; lemme explain all to you for the benefit of the reader!"
> 
> But, yes, that's why he refers to the members there as "strange people" because a) he doesn't know who they are yet and b) grunts wouldn't be a word he knew (I only learnt it after playing the games back in 2006)
> 
> Anyway, trivia?
> 
> *This chapter originally went much differently- I had the grunts bring Shivu to Charon first to get him healed up but then I wondered why the grunts would do this when Saturn is probably the second-in-command of Team Galactic (and also of a higher rank)?
> 
> There was also the problem that I thought Charon would be too cruel to fix Shivu up without someone ordering him to and altogether it didn't make much sense. So I changed it to the current layout.
> 
> * Shivu originally had a cap that he lost during the scuffle with Team Galactic in Chapter 2 which then was blown with the wind (or caught on the wheel of a truck in another version) which Barry then linked to Team Galactic's base and came to rescue him; however I ditched the idea for a more exciting one you'll see in Chapter 7.
> 
> * The last part there where Shivu is only locked in the room was slightly different in the original version (some of which you might have read, because I only edited it a year or so after posting that draft) initially he was tied to the bed too, but I thought that after Saturn pretending to be nice this would be a silly way to throw that out the window.
> 
> *Also I mean no offense to anyone who actually has narcolepsy and if you're wondering it is indeed a real disorder. I tried to find something pretty rare so as not to cause any offense but I'm not sure if that worked- if you're offended I have 100s of terms it can be replaced with :P
> 
> -It's more of a doctor's joke one of my temporary colleagues made in a veterinary clinic I did a work placement in- it was something to do with shaving a rabbit too much for surgery or something which ended in something along the lines of, "I wouldn't know the difference between the shaving pattern of a husky and a naked mole rat"


	4. Deadly Chases and Realisations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Palmer realises someone's missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour mon compains! Nice to see you again!
> 
> In this chapter you'll see how, as I mentioned in Chapter 2, that I've played around with the Commander's personalities.
> 
> I'll admit Mars' personality is strongly based off Marianne in the book Darkside by Tom Becker (which is on the curriculum for some schools so you may have already read it!)
> 
> Sadly I didn't read it in school but did get it from their library and I loved it! (I first read it when I was 10 and have read it 5 times or so since then in the following 7 years) if you haven't read it I highly recommend you do!
> 
> Now on to Chapter 4!

It was very late that night when Palmer and Barry pulled up to their new house in Twinleaf Town. Despite the late hour, Barry was the first out and round to the back, "Shivu, Shivu!" he cried, "Come and see my new room; I have a PS3! It's so awesome!" he hopped in and began looking around for his friend, still presuming he was asleep.

Palmer followed him around in a less excitable manner but as he reached the back, Barry poked his head out in puzzlement, "He's not here," he said.

Palmer chuckled, "He's playing a joke on you," he replied. But a thorough check inside the van showed Shivu was nowhere to be found. Palmer began to realise this was no joke.

As he was exiting the van he noticed something odd; one of the boxes they had packed was torn open, the contents inside rummaged through.

"Barry," said Palmer lifting one of the torn flaps, "Was this you?"

Barry shook his head, "I haven't opened any of these boxes yet," he said earnestly.

Palmer began to look a little worried; he sifted through the box and then stumbled back, a look of terror crossing his face, "No…" he mused, "They've taken it…"

"Who's taken what?" Barry asked, tipping his head to one side in bewilderment.

"How did they find us? They must have known our old address…" he jumped suddenly, leapt out of the van and looked up the path he had come, a sudden sense of paranoia apparently coming over him, "What if they followed us here?" he whispered, "Do they know where we are?"

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

Palmer started at the sudden voice before realising Barry had followed him and now had his hand on his arm.

Palmer looked to his son; he hadn't yet told Barry the contents of this box or the value it held. Not to mention what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands. Palmer sighed, "And I don't intend to tell him now," he thought.

"Nothing," Palmer replied bluntly, standing up, "Tomorrow I need to see someone; you can stay with Shivu's mother providing she doesn't mind. I'll give her a letter. Understand?"

"But…" began Barry.

"Understand?" Palmer said again, this time with more force.

Barry sighed, "Okay," he mumbled, "But where is Shivu?"

So wrapped up was he in the fact that a most important item was missing that Palmer hadn't even thought of Shivu; what could have happened to the young boy? Had… they found him?

He closed his eyes tightly and didn't respond; instead he lifted a box and began bringing it into the house, "Help me move these," was all he said.

Barry was extremely confused; his father wasn't normally withdrawn about things; and what about Shivu? He frowned and made a decision; if his father was going somewhere tomorrow then Barry would follow!

Was Shivu in some sort of danger? Then he wouldn't leave his best friend alone, whatever had happened!

\----

It was good that Barry was on the case because Shivu certainly needed the help. Not because of his current situation, as such, but because of his reaction to it; his want and ability to get away was about to get him into big trouble.   
Shivu had managed to find a place in the room where he could hopefully hide if the door was opened; anyone entering would assume he wasn’t there, at first.   
Shivu placed himself behind the door and grinned to himself. Now was the time to escape.

It took a few hours for anyone to enter; Shivu presumed it was morning before this happened because he drifted off to sleep a few times and no one had come near him in a long while.

It was the clunk of the lock that awoke him and alerted him that someone was about to come in.

It was a short girl entered; she had pillar-box red hair and, like everyone, she wore the strange silver uniform but hers was slightly different to the people with the turquoise hair.

Shivu narrowed one eye; both Charon and Saturn seemed to have an air of authority around them and also had different coloured hair and differently styled uniforms.

"So," he thought, "I have to be particularly careful with these kinds of people?" he nodded curtly to himself, "Alright then,"

The woman was carrying some kind of tray with food on it but upon seeing the empty bed and apparently the absence of anyone in the room she gasped and her eyes widened.

Shivu quickly took his chance; he slipped around the door and took off down the corridor. It was at this point that Shivu realised the just how big this building was and how the halls were about as long and winding as a Serviper's body.

He just hoped he could find a way out; after that he didn't know what he would do but he hoped to retrieve the bag and perhaps hop aboard a truck then get out the way he got in. His only wish was that his rough plan would work.

The pain in his leg had started up again but Shivu flatly refused to pay it any attention; he wasn't going to let a small injury stop him from escaping.

Behind him he heard a, "Hey!" he looked over his shoulder to see the red-haired girl chasing after him with speed that was nowhere close to Shivu's.

Still, Shivu pumped his legs harder to try and get out of her sights and screeched around a corner; right into Saturn.

Saturn let out a startled yelp as they smacked into each other, too stunned to try and grab the escaping prisoner. Shivu repeated the gesture, skidded to a halt and quickly turned tail and ran in the opposite direction.

He jumped out of the road of the girl and continued on his quest for freedom.

"Mars!" shouted Saturn, "Get after him!"

"Mars?" thought Shivu, "What's with everyone's names being related to planets around here?"

But he had no time to worry about that. A pair of swinging doors sported another unfathomable sign but Shivu could see the stairs beyond and knew what it meant- he had to get down to the lower floors and stairs was exactly what he needed.

He bolted down them, nearly tripping a few times as the pain in his leg worsened, and exited again when he reached the bottom.

Behind him, Shivu could hear Saturn and Mars following. Shivu had begun to limp and he knew it wouldn't be long before he couldn't run any further and they would catch up to him- he knew he couldn't let that happen.

Shivu swung around the corner that led to the main doors and this is when trouble found him. Two members stood at the end of the corridor standing guard.

When they saw Shivu, they immediately tensed up, ready to stop him. Shivu stopped running and turned to get away from them but at the other end of the hall Saturn and Mars arrived.

Shivu's heart raced in panic as he glanced between his two options; both ended the same way and that was back in a cell.

Blood had begun to leak through the bandage Charon had applied and Shivu had to hover his leg above the ground as he debated about what to do next.

Saturn looked like he was ready to punch Shivu's lights out by himself but then Mars leant over to him and whispered something in his ear.

Saturn didn't look happy but he stepped back and allowed Mars to approach Shivu.

Shivu swallowed and began taking one step back for every step she took forwards. "It's okay," she crooned, "don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you,"

Shivu knew he had to avoid the other two members behind him so he stopped with his back against a wall in the hope he could probably outrun or dart away from Mars if she tried anything funny.

Mars put her hands up, "Shh," she said softly, "It's alright, it's alright…"

Shivu held his breath as she stopped but a few centimetres from him. "Now, you shouldn't be running with a leg like that," she said in a firmness that reminded Shivu of his mother at home.

Shivu actually found he felt a little ashamed of himself.

"Would you not rather come back with us to Charon and get it treated again?" she asked, taking a few steps forward and holding Shivu's gaze with her own.

For one second Shivu thought her comforting tone and careful movements were legitimate; she was close enough now to grab him and she hadn't so far. Shivu began to feel relaxed; he looked into Mars' soft eyes and saw nothing to be afraid of.

Shivu thought about her request; his leg did hurt pretty badly. All he really wanted was for the pain to stop and… He shook his head slight as he realised what he truly wanted most; to go home.

Mars placed her hands on his shoulders and looked at him steadily, "You know," she said, "you're a very special boy. If you help us you could join us and be one of the best here at Team Galactic,"

Shivu kept jolting between reality and Mars' calming tones; "Team Galactic?" he thought mistily, "That's their name then… Funny name…"

He shook his head again and jerked away, "No!" he snapped. He jumped backwards till he was right against the wall, "Don't act like you're my friend! You're NOT!"

Mars continued her act, "Of course we're your friends; we're all friends here,"

"Unlikely…" Shivu growled.

"Don't be silly…" Mars put her hand out as if to stroke Shivu's head. Shivu bared his teeth and tried to pull away but there wasn't anywhere to pull away to.

A guttural growl rumbled in Shivu's throat as she got closer.

"There's nothing to be afraid of…" she tried again but Shivu had had quite enough of her calming act. When her hand got close enough Shivu jumped forward and latched on to her wrist with his jaws.

Mars cried out and immediately tried to jerk backwards but Shivu wasn't letting go; he sunk his teeth further into her skin.

Immediately, Saturn and the other Team Galactic members rushed forward and grabbed Shivu. Saturn whacked him hard in the face and Shivu quickly opened his mouth, releasing Mars. Mars stumbled away, holding her injured wrist and gasping in pain.

"Are you alright?" said Saturn, looking at Mars in concern.

Mars nodded weakly and Shivu noticed how she now stood a little behind Saturn. Saturn turned to Shivu, glaring. "How dare you!" he growled, "Alright, then, if you're going to act like a rabid Pokémon you're going to be treated like one!"

Saturn and the two other members dragged Shivu down to a basement where the trucks like the one Shivu had initially- and unintentionally- stowed away on seemed to be being unloaded.

As Shivu had seen on his journey here there were Pokémon inside the crates being lifted out and placed in more suitable cages. Still, they were small and not adequate housing at all. Oddly, Shivu noticed they were all Psychic-types.

The Pokémon were limp and didn't respond to the member's lifting them and Shivu guessed they must have been drugged for the journey.

A feeling of dread came over him as he worried what Saturn had planned for him in a place like this.

Saturn stormed over to a pile of bric-a-brac, lifted rope and duct tape, and then stormed back over.

He didn't say much but ordered the two members to bring Shivu back to the room he'd been in earlier. Saturn followed them, bringing everything he had lifted with him.

He had the two members tie Shivu's hands behind his back, then they tied his arms to his sides and connected the two together and to the bed.

Saturn himself bound his legs together; Shivu didn't make it easy for them but it wasn't long before they had their way.

When they were finished, they stepped back and examined his restraints. Saturn nodded, pleased, then said, "Right, now for the final touch," he pulled back a bit of the tape and leant down.

Shivu pulled back but it wasn't like he could go anywhere. Saturn grinned cruelly, "Like I said," he growled, "you act like a Pokémon, you're getting treated like one; and Pokémon who bite get muzzled," he began wrapping the tape multiple times over Shivu's mouth and around the back of his head.

Shivu let out muffled cries of surprise but despite his tossing his head about Saturn managed to get it round him with no hope of it coming off without manoeuvrable hands.

Shivu glared at him and yelled in a muffled tone Saturn couldn't understand.

"That's quite a glare you got there," said Saturn, "bit of a shame about your voice. Now here's the deal boy; you tell us where you've hidden that bag and we release you. Got it?"

Shivu's gaze drifted to the floor, his fierce expression diminishing.

Saturn shook his head turned and walked away, "The sooner the better, really. Forget the friendly act; from now on you are our prisoner." he paused at the door, "But, let me give you a piece of advice; I would tell us where it is pretty quickly before we have to go to more drastic measures. I'll leave you for a while to think about that offer."

After that he left, the members following obediently and blankly behind. In the time Shivu was alone, he did think about that; he didn't much like being here but whatever was in that bag was clearly of the upmost importance. He knew it couldn't fall into the wrong hands.

He had no doubt that somebody would soon be looking for him and so, until he was rescued, he would just have to keep quiet; however much he wanted to be free.

He guessed being silent wouldn't be so hard now he couldn't speak anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if that was creepy-good or creepy-bad… You tell me ;D
> 
> Really, other than my like for Darkside, I don't know why I made Mars the way I did; I was trying to base her style in a similar way the mangas did- in that she's representing emotion (in the way she plays with Shivu's by making him think Team Galactic's good and all)
> 
> And also because I see Mars as the youngest of the group and probably has some kind of understanding of younger people- in other words she tries to go for the "caring adult" thing I've heard a lot of kidnappers use. You know, lull into a false sense of security before showing her true nature and intentions.
> 
> *deep breath* SO! You see what I was going for? Tell me if I succeeded in rates and reviews!
> 
> Also, not gonna lie, I was laughing my head off I was wrote the part where Shivu bites Mars; it's by far the most peculiar thing to do in that situation! But, hey, if Saturn and the other two members hadn't of been there he may just have got away!
> 
> Ridiculous as it seems to have Barry being excited about a PS3 it actually makes sense; a PS4 didn't exist when I was 10 and at the same time a PS3 was one of the newest consoles on the market :3


	5. Odd One Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salut again! Today I come to you from my bedroom- I haven't been overly well in the past 2 days or so  
> Whoopie; I'm stuck in bed Dx  
> But Shivu's still running around! Lucky… In this chapter we're introduced to 24- a rather interesting character and a member of Team Galactic.  
> If you've read the comic this story is prequel to ('Counting Stars' is its name and it's based on Pokémon Black and White) you may notice 24 is not unlike someone in that! When the comic itself is complete it'll make more sense- and when the story is complete… well, you'll know who it is!

Team Galactic, like most places, had a form of hierarchy; at the top there was their glorious and powerful leader, then the four Commanders below him and finally the members.

The members weren't considered important at all. Rather they were the lowest rung of the ladder; nothing but grunts to add muscle and numbers to the Team and do the work the Commanders didn't want to do.

According to their boss, this strict chain of command kept the members in order; with someone to order them about all the time they didn't think much for themselves, nor even of themselves.

But it wasn't just the hierarchy that caused this; all the members were under the complete control of one of Charon's intricate mind control devices.

Sometimes, the members broke free of this control; most who did this had had a particularly creative mind and strong will before they had joined Team Galactic.

Most members only had a record of shaking off the effects of the mind control machine once or twice in their whole career. But repeatedly there was one particular member who always broke free- Number 24; because in Team Galactic the members weren't even considered important enough to have a name.

He was a relatively short member and somewhat gangly still, being only 19 years old.

Ordinarily his hair was curly and overgrown but with Team Galactic's attire it had been trimmed into a bowl cut and dyed turquoise.

Because of his random outbursts of free thinking he was kept a close eye on and often punished for his actions after one of his lucidity moments. His Pokémon had been taken off him long ago and his uniform had been torn on more than one occasion in his tries to get out of the base. His right sleeve bore a particular noticeable stitching from one of these tears.

It was evening; the day after Shivu's attempted escape, and 24 was walking down the corridor with a stack of files in his arms when he felt a familiar tingling sensation in his head. He stopped walking abruptly and shook his head.

"Oh no…" he thought, "No, not again…!"

The tingling became a sharp pang of pain which caused him to drop the files and grip his hair. His neat hair became messier as he dragged his hands through it, willing the feeling to stop because he knew what it meant.

His hearing became distant and fuzzy but vaguely he heard a familiar voice beside him saying, in the Team Galactic language, "Are you okay, 24?"

24 jerked away from her, "No, no, no!" he thought, "Please go away; it'll be even worse for me if you see this!"

In fact, the person beside him was Mars and 24 heard her say, "Uh oh," as she too realised what was happening. Mars quickly lifted a communications device and requested backup in case 24 got out of hand, which he most certainly would.

24 shook his head vigorously again and again but he felt his 'perfect' mind shatter and be replaced with one of rebellion and chaos (in Team Galactic's eyes) and fun and freedom (in his own).

His hearing cleared as his eyes snapped open. Mars was trying her calming act on him, "Okay, 24, let's calm down…"

24 jerked away from her looking terrified and confused as he mostly did in the beginning of reverting to this state. "What happened?" he demanded, "Where am I?"

"You're in the H.Q," said Mars slowly, "It's okay…"

As she reached her arm out, 24 jumped backwards, landed on the files and ended up on his back on the floor. As the backup arrived he lifted his head and scrambled backwards fearfully.

Mars held up her hands as she had with Shivu (though, after the last time, she didn't attempt stroking him) and crooned, "Shh, calm down, it's alright. We won't hurt you,"

But, unlike Shivu, 24 instantly saw past her act, being subject to it and falling for it before and quickly turned and ran. Mars sighed, regretful that this couldn't be solved peacefully; "After him!" to the members by her side.

24 rounded the corner of one of the corridors at speed, crying out as a Pokémon's attack narrowly missed his head.

Meanwhile, Shivu, with great difficulty, had worked his way out of his bindings. He had joyously found the door left unlocked by accident and had quietly slipped out of his room.

This time he would not be caught.

Shivu had his back against the wall and was sliding along it carefully keeping an eye out when he heard the loud sounds of footsteps and yelling heading straight for him.

Thinking they were after him, he didn't waste time standing around. He found a lift that was empty and on the floor he was on; quickly he dived inside, closed the doors and prayed no one would enter.

He hid in the corner and was surprised when the doors opened and someone came leaping in after him. There was a moment when Shivu was highlighted in the light of outside and the teenager half-turned and cried out in panic.

He landed against the buttons as he fell backwards in shock and the lift began to move.

"Woah, who're you?!" the teenager gasped in the darkness.

"I'm Shivu!" Shivu was just as alarmed, "Who are you?"

"24, bro," he replied, "Well… That's not my real name. Are you a member of Team Galactic, little dude?"

"No way; I'm a prisoner; are you a member?"

"Not exactly, kid; occasionally I'm a prisoner,"

"I don't understand,"

"It's a long story. Just trust me on this; I'm a friend now. I've heard about you, man. You're the one who bit Mars, right? Nice going; it's good to have a friend here, broski!"

"Woah, woah," Shivu wasn't sure if he could trust this guy, "Friend? We're not friends yet until you prove yourself. How do I know this isn't a trap?"

They arrived at a floor and the doors slid open. The corridor was empty but shouts from the stairwell indicated it wouldn't be this way for long.

24 got into a stance, "How about I help you run, dude?"said 24 with a grin, "I know the layout of this building. I can get us out! I can help us fight if we need to,"

Shivu gulped, "Yeah, okay," he replied in a high pitched voice. The idea of fighting in general didn't appeal to Shivu much at any point in his life, and the idea of a potentially bloody battle in order to escape was even less so.

But at the same time Shivu knew he couldn't stay here a moment longer; Team Galactic set him on edge and he knew it wouldn't be long before they found the bag and what then?

Shivu took a deep breath as he prepared to run again. He could only hope and pray that 24 was legitimate in his promise to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shivu should be an escape artist. He's damn good at escaping from ropes and chains- not so good at escaping buildings, though.
> 
> So, what do you think of 24 thus far? You'll be seeing more of him- and if you're wondering he IS a good guy. When explaining the plot to a friend she seed to think that 24 was going to turn out to be a spy- I'm afraid that isn't the case!
> 
> he fun thing about my writing- if a character says it (aka "how do I know this isn't a trap?") then it isn't. When a character doesn't see through something immediately it probably is bad news.
> 
> You get a trivia, you get a trivia! EVERYONE gets a trivia!
> 
> * Originally I had 24 break free (#I want to break free#) and then decide to rescue Shivu- but later I decided this wasn't a good idea. While 24 isn't exactly selfish he's also not an idiot and would rather get out and come back with more force later to rescue any other prisoners instead of trying it himself without any firepower.
> 
> * I also had 24 tell Shivu his real name (at the part in the lift) but instead I had him keep it a secret and plan to reveal it at the end of the story.
> 
> * Shivu and 24 originally met in various different places depending on the draft- in a closet, in a stairwell, in a corridor and outside the building itself (in the grounds).
> 
> -The closet was a stupid idea because why would two people trying to escape run into a closet where there's no way out? (Shivu could have made the mistake of thinking it lead somewhere else but since 24's been there for a while he should know the difference between stairs and a closet)
> 
> -The stairwell I changed to a lift because they needed to talk and travel and I wanted the chapter to end with them facing off against Team Galactic and doing so in a corridor (this is kind of important for the next chapter).
> 
> -The corridor idea I changed because I figured if Shivu saw 24 he wouldn't give him a chance to explain and just run (he IS a coward after all) so I needed them to be somewhere they couldn't get out of.
> 
> -Meeting in the grounds caused too many plot-holes such as "they were so close- why didn't they escape?" "why didn't someone outside the vicinity notice them?"
> 
> -Speaking of people outside- in my version the Veilstone Building is meant to be somewhat hidden away (unlike the way it's practically got neon signs in the games) in that there's probably a LOT of ground between the city and the building (in other words it's hard enough to see what's going on in the grounds never mind in the building).
> 
> *If it helps, 24 is meant to have slightly messier hair than the other members. In the sketches I've done of him his hair is longer (looking more like the girl grunt's actually lol) and, like I said, messy.
> 
> *There's also a big tear up his sleeve which is sewn up (this is just for distinction rather than anything else- and to establish Team Galactic probably don't go too kind on him when he "shifts" or "turns".)


	6. Chaos in the Corridor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, not gonna lie; I love the name of this chapter. I think I originally called it "The Machine" and you'll see why later, but I changed it to this sentence as I wrote further on in the story and thought it was too good to waste.
> 
> I apologise for the late upload but I'm not gonna lie; I simply couldn't be bothered proof-reading xD Not to mention I was at a sleepover the other day with my friends :P
> 
> I don't know why it's called a sleepover cos no one ever sleeps, hmm…
> 
> This is when the story gets a little, shall we say, creepy and dark? I don't know how you guys will view it so let me know if you like it or loathe it :) But watch out for triggers in this chapter! There are mentions of death. The tags are your friends people.
> 
> Although most of this is pretty canon- if you've read the mangas (Pokémon Adventures) you'll see what I mean.
> 
> Anyway- on with the show!

24 sprinted out from the lift and began running away from the stairwell and the members who ran up it. Shivu struggled to keep up, being much younger and smaller than 24 but his fear kept him going.  
He looked up at 24 as they ran; he didn’t look scared but determined. Shivu couldn’t sense the same bad and mindless vibes coming from him that he felt from the others in this place.  
“But why?” wondered Shivu. 24 wasn’t like the other members; he spoke English and his eyes didn’t have the glassy appearance everyone else’s did.  
Shivu thought about pressing for an explanation but he didn’t have time as a blast of a Pokémon attack burnt the air around them. 24 glanced behind them- about 4 members had managed to catch up and judging by what he could hear more were on the way.  
“I can take them,” 24 grinned, “You keep running dude,”  
Shivu looked back too- the members looked a lot stronger than 24- some were even taller. Not to mention they had Pokémon. “24, they’re too strong for you!” Shivu gasped.  
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll get away!” 24 winked, “Now go!”  
He skidded to a halt and turned to face his enemies, “Come on then!” he snarled, “Any of you brave enough to tackle me, bring it on!”  
Unfortunately for 24, all the members were most certainly brave enough to attack and they did so in perfect unison.  
Shivu whimpered and turned a corner as 24’s battle roar ricocheted through the air as he charged straight into the throng of the attack.  
Shivu’s stomach did a flip as images of battle flashed through his mind, in tune to the fading sounds.  
Back in the battle, two of the members quickly grabbed 24’s arms and twisted them behind his back. Still, 24 lashed from side-to-side determined not to let them win. Another member grabbed his hair and violently pulled his head back but still 24 kicked out, meeting with the back of a member who had been heading towards where Shivu had ran.  
The member landed on the ground and twisted around aiming a swipe at 24’s face. 24 pulled hard so the attack hit the member behind him.  
24 shouted, “Ha, take that! You won’t get me because I am a free--!” his voice was abruptly cut off as someone slammed their hand over his mouth.  
The member who’d aimed the last attack quickly pulled out a communications device and in Team Galactic’s garbled language, contacted Saturn and told him of 24’s capture and Shivu’s escape.  
Just as he finished making the call, 24 broke free and slammed his full body weight into him, turning to slam his boot into another member’s face.  
Meanwhile Shivu’s lungs were burning but he couldn’t stop now. Still, he knew his problems were mounting- without 24 he had no clue where to run to anymore. As he turned a corner he glanced back; no one seemed to be following him. But he could still hear the sounds of battle between 24 and the others, though they sounded distant now.  
He turned to look ahead again and seized up in shock as he saw someone in front of him. Shivu skidded so hard to a halt he fell to the ground and ended up on his back in front of a tall man.  
He had dark eyes with pale spiky blue hair. He wore a long silver and black coat over the Team Galactic uniform; in fact, Shivu didn’t think it looked much different to the members’ clothing but one look into his eyes told him he was far from being an ordinary grunt.  
Shivu froze with his mouth open and his eyes wide with fear. Alerted by the sound of running, the man looked over his shoulder and blinked in perplexity.  
What Shivu didn’t know at the time was that this was Cyrus; Team Galactic’s boss and ‘shining sun’ to them.  
Shivu found himself paralyzed with fear; that same bad feeling he got with everyone else was increased ten-fold with this man.

The man turned fully, “Who are you?” he asked. He was certain he hadn’t met a member who had blue hair or was this young.  
The bright lights above cast dark and sharp shadows over his face, effectively blocking out everything but his eyes and making him look almost monstrous to Shivu’s child mind.  
The man put his hand out to help the boy up but he only jerked backwards in fright. “Why is he afraid?” Cyrus wondered.  
Shivu was breathing heavily, his heart thumped so hard his pulse could be seen clearly in his neck and he was shaking all over.  
Shivu scrabbled into an upright position and took a step backwards. “Are you hurt?” Cyrus tried, taking a step forward.  
But Shivu wouldn’t let Cyrus anywhere near him. Cyrus sighed and thought to himself, “This just one of the many flaws of emotion. He can’t see that I’m simply trying to help him because his fear- whatever that is of- is getting in the way. Without it, he’d be much better off and would be able to see clearly.”  
Shivu glanced behind him as the sound of pursuing members grew louder. Quickly he dived past Cyrus.  
Cyrus didn’t try to stop him and he made it to the end of the corridor but suddenly Saturn came sprinting down the hallway and grabbed Shivu around the neck.  
Shivu cried out in surprise and horror as Saturn pulled him back.  
“Oh no, you don’t,” he growled, “you’re not going anywhere,”  
Shivu bit him hard on the arm but Saturn, although he barked out in pain, quickly recovered himself and wrapped his arms around Shivu’s neck, making him choke and splutter.  
“Saturn,” said Cyrus in a deep, emotionless voice, “What do you think you’re doing?”  
Saturn let out a horrified gasp, not noticing the man standing there with the thrill of the chase, and slowly turned down to the bottom of the corridor, bringing a struggling Shivu with him.  
Cyrus didn’t act angry as he walked towards them but something about him told Shivu he certainly wasn’t happy at witnessing all this chaos in the corridor.  
Cyrus glanced at Shivu and his eyebrows rose slightly.  
“Who is this?” he asked.  
Saturn glanced around, avoiding his eye and apparently flustered. “Err… Well, you see sir…” he explained awkwardly, “Remember that…” he looked down at Shivu and deliberately avoided saying the word he was going to say directly, “item we were meant to take from Palmer?”  
“Yes,”  
“Well, there were some complications in the mission. This boy has taken it and has yet to reveal its whereabouts. We had him in a room, but he escaped.” Saturn looked downwards and didn’t look back up, “I’m sorry sir…” he said, sounding genuinely so.  
The man stared down at him for a long while before looking at Shivu and asking, “And what interest do you have in this item, boy?”  
Shivu didn’t say anything but instead cowered down and looked away. For once, he was glad of Saturn’s presence because it almost made him feel a little safer around this strange man.  
“Hmpf,” huffed Cyrus when Shivu didn’t reply. He turned to Mars who had followed Saturn- Shivu hadn’t even noticed she was there, “What is his name?”  
“Sir?” said Mars, tipping her head in puzzlement.  
“The boy, what’s his name?”  
Mars opened her mouth to reply but closed it again when she realised she didn’t know. She had never thought to ask and she was sure the kid himself had never said.  
She glanced to Saturn who shrugged helplessly and then back up, “Uhm… We don’t know, Cyrus, sir.”  
Shivu’s eyes flicked up at the mention of the man’s name; Cyrus? Shivu knew that Cyrus meant ‘sun’. He remembered everyone else’s names being related to planets so surely that implied this man was… “Oh no,” thought Shivu as he realised what position this man held here.  
This only made Shivu even more terrified and he trembled violently in fear; standing before him was the man who had been the cause for all the problems Shivu had encountered thus far.  
“Well,” Cyrus looked back to Shivu, “what is your name?”  
Shivu let out a small whimper of terror and leant away from him.  
Cyrus sighed through his nose then said, “Looks like we’re not going to get anything out of him,”  
He looked back to the other members behind Mars, “You need this many members to get a child?”  
Saturn shook his head and answered for her; “24 also escaped- and you know how he can be. For a moment he was in league with this boy- they were trying to escape together,”  
As if on cue, the four members from earlier came around the corner, following the sound of Cyrus’ voice and dragging 24 with them.  
“Let me go!” 24 roared, “Get off me you mindless idiots! Can’t you see what he’s doing to you? You’re under his control, snap out of it!”  
Shivu gasped as he saw scratches and bruises welling up on 24’s face and what he could see of his arms.  
Cyrus shook his head, “So 24, you are once again causing trouble with your liberal views. It's illogical and irrational and you try to drag this child into your criminal activities as well? Children are the very future of our new world and you already try to taint this one?”  
“I tried to rescue him! You say I’m trying to taint him?” 24 spat, “What about you? You gonna dress him up like one of your mindless soldiers and call him a member? Did you tell him what happens when you become a full slave of this organisation?”  
“24, please refrain from using those kinds of words- you’re not a slave.” 24 snorted and Cyrus went on, “For once, try and use your lucid state to think clearly and without emotion clouding your judgement- you’re just proving right now,” he nodded toward him as 24 jerked and twisted in his captors’ grips, “That your heart is weak, like everyone else.” Cyrus came forward and leant down in 24’s face.  
“I am thinking clearly!” 24 growled, “And what I’m thinking is how badly I want to get out of this dystopian nightmare!”  
24 stared back unflinching and Cyrus answered, “You’d be foolish to leave here- especially after all I’ve taught you. We’re the only ones who can help you be rid of your emotions. Outside you’d just be a pitiful wreck- in here we give you purpose.”  
24’s eyes blazed as he tried to dive towards Cyrus but the others held him back, “Why you…” he snarled, “I was much better outside than here! My emotions don’t make me weak, they make me strong- human; what are you without them?”

Cyrus narrowed his eyes, “I am the leader of a powerful organisation dedicated to making a new and better world. And you, 24, what are you with emotions? An outcast in this place and a troublemaker,” he stood up straighter and towered over him, “In the new world there won’t be a place for you if you continue like this; if I were you, I would start acting right before you find yourself in permanent solitary confinement.”  
His dark words didn’t seem to faze 24 in the slightest and as Cyrus turned away 24 barked out, “Ha! You think that’d scare me? Even if you threatened my life, Cyrus, I’d say a coffin would be better than this place!”  
Cyrus whipped back around, “Don’t say that!” he snapped, suddenly very agitated, “Death is not something to be looked over, it’s NEVER something to be looked over!” his shoulders trembling with barely repressed rage he hissed slowly, “Team Galactic doesn’t kill.”  
24 bared his teeth at him as Cyrus closed his eyes, took a deep breath then turned to Saturn and Mars. “If this boy will not willingly tell us where the bag is, and 24 will not act as he should… We shall bring them to The Machine,” he said.  
The second 24 heard that last simple sentence he was sent into a frenzy of yelling and thrashing, “Nooo!” he shouted, “You can’t take me back there!”  
The fear in his eyes sent a shiver down Shivu’s spine; he may have only known 24 for a short while but in that time he had never seen him be truly afraid.  
“I won’t be one of you again!” 24 howled, “I won’t be a mindless number- I want to stay human!”  
Cyrus ignored him completely but listened when Mars said, “But sir, this boy’s too young for that! It could kill him…”  
Cyrus shook his head, “It’ll be fine- painless even. So long as he doesn’t insist in fighting back too much,”  
Shivu gulped.  
As the members began dragging 24 down the hallway again he yelled to the members on either side of him, “Please Helen, Rolf- I know you’re in there somewhere. Fight back!” he tried to twist around to the member behind him, “Cyril, please just let me go and I can rescue you!”  
He thrashed wildly, begging now, “PLEASE LET ME GO!”  
“I don’t need to remind you 24 that they no longer have those names.” Cyrus called behind him as he stalked in front, “They’ve been reborn in Team Galactic- they’re now 11, 12 and 22. Just as you are 24.”  
“I’m not a number!” 24 cried, “I’m--!” but at that point the member behind him rammed his hand back over his mouth. As 24 continued to try and fight them off Shivu could see the fear increasing in his eyes- now he wasn’t lashing out because he was angry, he was doing it because he was scared.  
Shivu glanced between Mars and Saturn as they began leading him down the corridor as well, “What’s Cyrus talking about?” he gasped, “What does he mean- ‘The Machine’?”  
“Nothing for you to worry about,” replied Saturn, “just keep quiet and keep walking,”  
Shivu looked to Mars who just murmured, “It’s alright,”  
“Is it?” Shivu barked nervously, “Oh, yeah, it certainly looks that way; here I am being dragged to ‘The Machine’ whatever that is and I’ve just met the boss of this crazy syndicate and he’s even more scary than any of you and, and…” he took a moment to catch his breath then hung his head, “I just want to go home!” he whimpered.  
Mars looked at him in pity and then up to Saturn. Saturn returned the look then shook his head and glared straight ahead, “Well, you’re not,” he replied, clearing his throat, “Not until we find the location of that bag,”  
Shivu was starting to seriously contemplate telling them; little did he know in just under an hour he wouldn’t have any choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun? Yes? No?
> 
> Lemme know!
> 
> I wonder what the mysterious Machine could be? *woooooo!*
> 
> Find out in Chapter 7! Lucky for some, definitely not for the characters.
> 
> Triviatriviatriva
> 
> \- When writing this Chapter I spent a few days wondering where I was going to go with it; I knew 24 and Shivu couldn't escape but why? Then it came to me; this is a perfect time to introduce Cyrus!
> 
> -The Chapter itself was originally quite different, I rewrote recently so, again, it's likely you may have seen the old version. In the old draft, Shivu and 24 reach the floor on the last Chapter to find Saturn, Mars and some other members ready to fight them. Then the following Chapter opens with them BOTH attacking them to try and get away
> 
> But they're easily overcome and the Chapter ends in a reworded way that this one does
> 
> -I'm trying to keep Mars more sympathetic towards Shivu as I believe I mentioned in a previous chapter. Again, this is simply because I think she'd be the youngest of the Galactic group so probably with more of a link with Shivu than the others.
> 
> -24 makes two references to a favoured TV show of mine called 'The Prisoner'. If you haven't watched it already, I highly recommend you do it;s really awesome! There was one in the 60s I think and then one remade pretty recently; I haven't seen the new one yet so I can't judge on it but as for the original one of the more famous quotes from it (and one that is repeated every episode in the opening) is No. 6's "I am not a number, I am a free man!"  
> I quote part of this Chapter- '"I'm not a number!" 24 cried, "I'm-!"' and '"You won't get me because I am a free-"' both spoken by 24 and both based around that phrase :3  
> Like I said, look 'The Prisoner' up at least! It inspired this story greatly :D
> 
> -Another fun thing to note is how the character's real names rhyme somewhat with their numbers; "Rolf" and "12", "Helen" and "11" etc  
> In the story, there's no real reason for this, but behind the scenes it makes it easier to remember for me XD I do have a document with a list of the characters names and numbers; only up to 40 I think, as I don't really need anymore than that.  
> Then when I'm writing I just go and do a lucky dip on who's going to feature as a background character :P Good fun! And it doesn't take all that long surprisingly :D


	7. The Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a very important plot device is introduced! Oh, and David Tennant is there as well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait, mon compains! So I've actually proof-read up to Page 39 (Word Document wise) but what I do is print out the story then proof-read it wherever I can and write the corrections down with my 'Magical Marking Pen' (a 6B pencil which is, in fact, not a pen at all) then scan through it and type up everything digitally.
> 
> It also gives me a chance to see what the story will look like printed (I usually print my favoured stories and put them in folders along with the cover and Chapter summary as if it was a real book) apart from anything this keeps the story safe for years to come and means I'll have a physical copy in case the computer ever breaks down (which is bound to happen someday) although of course everything is backed up digitally 10 fold.
> 
> Anyway, enough from me! Shall we continue?

Chapter 7; The Machine

As the evening grew darker Palmer did as he had intended and sent his son over to Shivu’s mother’s house. Palmer hadn’t pre-asked Shivu’s mother to take care of Barry but had given Barry a note explaining that he had been called away temporarily for emergency work and he knew she wouldn’t mind.  
However Barry had every intention of not giving it to her. He hunkered down, hidden, outside her house until he saw his father leave his own.  
Quietly, he began to follow him; whatever his father was up to was bound to be related to Shivu in some way. Perhaps Barry would overhear something important, since his father refused to tell him anything.  
Palmer walked for a long while through the forested area of Route 201 beyond their new home. He eventually stopped by a tree and looked around.  
Barry slipped behind a bush and waited. After a short while Barry was startled by the sound of a Honchkrow hooting into the night.  
Palmer turned when he heard Barry’s surprised jolt which rustled the leaves. Barry held his breath and stayed completely still. The hoot came again and Palmer turned towards it, deciding anything he’d heard was merely the wind. He responded to the bird Pokémon’s sounds with a call mimicking a Luxray.   
There was a pause before a man stepped out from behind a tree. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, and wore a long caramel-coloured coat with a green suit underneath.  
Palmer stepped forward and shook his hand, “Looker,” he said.  
The man, Looker, nodded, “Palmer,” he replied, “What this about, huh?”  
It was evident from each man’s manner that Looker and Palmer knew each other which made it all the more curious to Barry that he’d never seen this man, not even in pictures.   
Looker’s accent indicated he was foreign and it was apparent with the broken way he worded his sentences that he had some trouble with speaking English.   
Palmer sat down on a rock but Looker remained standing. Barry thought he seemed hyper-vigilant, always turning his head about as he looked and apparently listening to his surroundings, as if he expected enemies to come leaping out at any moment.  
Palmer took a breath before saying, “The book has gone missing,”  
Looker’s eyes widened and he snapped his whole attention to Palmer, “It has done what? Are you sure?” He watched Palmer’s miserable expression and saw no doubt, “You are most certainly in the sure.” he said, answering his own question.  
Palmer nodded, “I think they took it while we were moving yesterday,” he sighed, “and Shivu has also gone missing,”  
“What’s a Shivu?”  
“Not what, who,” Palmer rolled his eyes slightly, “He is a friend of my son’s; he was meant to be travelling in the back of the moving van while we drove to the new house. When we arrived both him and the book were missing. What I’m thinking is he’s seen Team Galactic taking the book and they’ve kidnapped him because he’s a witness.”  
“Are you sureing it was them? Team Galactic, I mean,”   
Palmer nodded, “I have no doubt; you know how they are. They wanted that information and that’s why we moved in the first place. Looker, what if they come after me again; what if they come after Barry?”  
Looker waved this away, “They won’t,” he replied, “I’ve done all I can to keep you and your family in the safe and when I do all I can that is a lot, so just continue to put your trusting in me.”  
Palmer didn’t exactly look convinced so Looker continued, “According to your records you now live in Hoenn. If they go after you, I’ll have sent them on a wild Swanna chase,”  
Palmer rubbed his arm nervously, “They still have Shivu and the book; so what now?”  
Looker dragged his hand down his face and sighed, “That I am not knowing of… I’ve heard they have a new base in Veilstone City…” he rubbed his chin, “Unless…”  
“Unless…?”  
Looker grinned, “I have a plan.” he began to turn away, “Don’t be worrying, Palmer, I’ll have all your problems solved within a few of the days!”  
“Looker,” cried Palmer standing up, “At least tell me what this plan of yours is!”

“Nope, nope, nope,” replied Looker, shaking his head, “Can’t tell you; top secret. Absolute silence from this International Police member,” And with that he walked off, leaving a very confused Palmer behind.  
Palmer shook his head, “Why do I trust that guy…?” he wondered in disbelief.  
However Barry had heard all he needed too; Shivu was with this ‘Team Galactic’? Then he would travel to Veilstone City and get him back!  
Barry quickly travelled back home and began packing a backpack full of things he thought he would need for the rescue mission; a torch, a rope, a map of Veilstone and so on.  
He passed Shivu’s mother’s house on the way out and paused. That’s where he was supposed to be staying right now.   
Changing course only slightly would mean he would remain safe and let this Looker guy deal with everything.   
He took his scarf in his hand and the thought diminished; the scarf he wore was a symbol of Shivu’s and his forever friendship. Silly though it sounded to an adult, it was the very essence of all the time they’d spent being the best of friends; and the best of friends never let each other down especially when they were in danger. Barry couldn’t leave Shivu alone, even with Looker on the case too.  
He simply had to go and that was that. He turned around and passed between the two large trees that marked the path to Route 201. Now his adventure would truly begin.

\----

Shivu gazed around the room he was in; it was large but seemed smaller thanks to the huge pieces of machinery that seemed to take up most of the space.   
Shivu had been made to sit in a chair with straps attached; he was restrained in it much to his dislike and fear, and he certainly showed it by trying to fight off Saturn and Mars but to no avail. The straps had to be pulled right to the last hole, since Shivu’s wrists were so small and Mars again commented that “The Machine wasn’t built for children”.  
24 made a much bigger scene about being strapped in, even giving one of the members a black eye, but eventually Team Galactic got their way.  
Two members came behind 24 and Shivu and pulled a headband down over their heads. A curly wire connected the bands to the huge computers around the sides of the room. Shivu looked up worriedly, “Please don’t tell me you’re going to kill us…” he gulped.  
Cyrus stood by a complex computer next to them. He shook his head, “Of course not.”  
“Yeah,” snapped 24, “It’s much worse than that! Isn’t that right, Cyrus?”  
Cyrus bristled, gave him a look and then continued typing, “I suggest you be quiet before you say something you regret,”  
“I’ve already done that!” he growled back, “It was something along the lines of ‘I’m going to apply for a job at Team Galactic’!”  
Cyrus ignored him this time.   
Shivu turned to 24 and whispered, “What’s he going to do…?”  
24 was still glowering at Cyrus but soon he slowly lowered his head. His shoulders slumped and he sighed. When he looked up at Shivu again he looked sad and scared, “I’m sorry, little dude,” he replied, “I really am sorry,”  
Shivu’s eyes widened in terror and he began struggling but the restraints held him fast. Mars came over and gave him an attempt at a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Just relax,” she whispered, “It’s less painful that way,”  
“What’s less painful?” Shivu squeaked, “What’s going to happen?”  
Cyrus finished typing on the computer and put his hand on a lever as The Machine powered up.   
He observed the two subjects for today; 24 had his head hung and Cyrus knew he had given up the fight so this would be easy for him. The other child, however, was looking panicked and terrified; for him this would only drag out in inevitable.

Sub-consciously, Cyrus shrugged, “Hopefully, for his sake, he is a fast learner,” he thought.  
Charon was at the other end of the computer- the device was quite intricate and really needed two system units just to prevent it from crashing from its own large amount of data.  
But while Cyrus was finished relatively quickly typing in his commands, Charon took a little longer because he was adjusting the controls ever so slightly; but as with any computer, changing just one number of a code had drastic outcomes. He chuckled quietly to himself and eyed the boy and 24. Things were finally starting to go his way.  
A rhythmical, warped pinging sound indicated the charging was complete. Cyrus pulled down the lever his hand was resting on.  
Shivu had tensed expecting to feel something excruciating but he blinked open his eyes when he felt nothing. For a second he thought nothing was going to happen but then a sharp tingling pain like pins and needles started in his head and only increased and got more agonizing.  
A weird sensation came over him- it was almost like going unconscious; he could feel parts of his brain beginning to black out. He could even see stars in front of his eyes.  
“Whazzhappenen…?” he slurred, shaking his head.  
He turned and saw 24 already had his head lowered and looked asleep. Shivu shook his head again; what was this?   
“We’ve got 24,” said Saturn, although his voice sounded echoey in Shivu’s ears, “we’ll have control of the boy soon; then he’ll tell us where the bag is,”  
“Control…?” Shivu thought, “He can’t mean…” Shivu’s head jerked upwards, “Mind control!” he barked out-loud. He realised now that this was how they kept everyone in perfect order; that was why everyone here was so mindless!  
Another thought hit him; somehow 24 had escaped this power. Hence why the members had come after him and why he’d acted so rebellious to being recaptured.   
When Shivu had spoken it obviously wasn’t very understandable because he heard Saturn ask, “What’d he say?”   
Mars replied, “I’m not sure,”  
“Probably not important,” Shivu could just about make out Saturn’s shrug.  
Shivu shook his head vigorously, “No!” he growled, “Get this thing off me; you won’t take me!” He truly believed his words and he felt his head begin to clear. But with it came a vicious pain that felt like a knife being twisted into his skull.  
When he began to slip into the unconscious-like state again the pain subsided but Shivu didn’t care. He kept forcing himself awake again and he kept his mind on things that mattered to him the most; his friends, his family, his future.  
Cyrus growled, “Stop fighting, boy,” he demanded, “Your emotions are causing you pain- I can help get rid of that. So give it up.”  
“Never,” Shivu snarled back, determination showing in his bright orange eyes.  
Mars took a step towards him to put her hands on his shoulders but Shivu pulled away, “No!” he barked, “Stay away from me,”  
“Yes,” agreed Cyrus, “Because when I increase the voltage you touching him could mean the electricity will go into you too,”  
Mars nodded reluctantly and stepped back. “I want to help him,” she whispered to Saturn, “He’s only going to wind up getting hurt,”  
Saturn glanced at her and then at Cyrus. Cyrus showed no emotion as he stared at Shivu so he replied, “We are helping him,” in a cold voice.  
Cyrus waited for The Machine to charge again before pushing the lever further downwards, increasing the energy flowing into Shivu.  
24’s eyes flew open as well and he gritted his teeth in pain but soon slumped forward and passed out again.  
Shivu, however, kept struggling against the binds, “Stop it!” he cried, “Please, it hurts!”  
Mars covered her mouth in shock and looked away, unable to keep watching a child go through this ordeal.  
Cyrus couldn’t understand why the boy couldn’t see reason; the clever thing to do would be to give in. In fact he knew almost everyone at their first go at The Machine was like this, “Such rebel!” Cyrus thought, “But why? Do they want to keep their emotions? To they want to be in pain for all their lives?”  
He shook his head and answered the young boy, “Then give it up- let go of your emotions!” his tone softened slightly, “And the pain will go away,”  
“I-I’ll tell you where the bag is!” Shivu tried, intending to lie about its location, “Let me go and I’ll tell you!”  
“No,” replied Cyrus, then, as if reading his mind, he continued, “This way the answer will most definitely be the truthful one. No emotion, no lies.”  
Shivu’s eyes widened then closed again as another stab of pain filled his head; he began to feel the fight drain out of him. Even his thoughts of the things that made up his life began to fade into black.  
“No!” cried Shivu, “No, no, no!”  
Cyrus upped the voltage one more time and this time Shivu couldn’t take it. He felt his mentality begin to shut down and a weird, mindless feeling take over.  
“No…! No…” Slowly, his eyes closed and he fell limp over the chair.  
Satisfied, Cyrus waited a few minutes before turning off The Machine.   
“There,” he said as he came over and began to unstrap the boy and 24, “They’ll both be much better off now,”   
Charon nodded, a pleased grin plastered on his face, “Well said sir,”  
“Keep an eye on both of them,” Cyrus reminded Saturn and Mars before leaving.   
It only took a person to fall victim to Charon’s Machine once and the mindless state was guaranteed to last for at least a month until it needed redone again; of course, when this happened the members were too senseless to resist and it took all of a few seconds.  
24 was different but was still pretty easily dealt with; on his first few goes he had reacted much the same way Shivu had but soon he, too, had learnt that there was no fighting against The Machine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Further Adieu
> 
> Uh-oh! So now Shivu and 24 are under the control of Team Galactic! What will happen next? You'll just have to wait and see! :D
> 
> So what did you think? Do you see now what I meant about changing things around and making things darker?
> 
> I hope you liked it :D Lemme know in rates and reviews! There isn't that much trivia this time but let's give it a shot, eh? :3
> 
> *Word's spell checker had just oodles of fun pointing out all the purposefully made mistakes in Looker's vocabulary
> 
> *When I ran the beginning of this Chapter by my mum I was messing around and said, "Now who could this mysterious detective guy be?" and she replied in full seriousness, "Clearly he's Palmer's lover"  
> When I asked her why she thought that she listed off a few reasons- Palmer had gone into a forest to meet him, he'd left his kid behind (according to mum this is a thing that must be done when dating a person for a second time after having kids) and also the fact that the first thing he says to him is "Looker" indicating, of course, that he finds him handsome.
> 
> -I had to explain this all to her (and explain why Palmer isn't actually going out with Looker) but I have to say, the assumption's a pretty good one XD The points she made weren't wrong :P
> 
> * Originally Barry was going to sneak into his house after Palmer had left, find some files on his secret item that Team Galactic stole (along with some on Team Galactic themselves) then head off for Veilstone.
> 
> However, I saw an opportunity to introduce Looker into the story and have a little fun with him (ever since X and Y, I've loved Looker xD)
> 
> \- A second idea had Barry follow and be found out only to have Looker ask him to join him in his quest but considering Looker's "hard-boiled detective" attitude and the fact that Barry's father was there I didn't think this was a very plausible.
> 
> *We originally got to meet Shivu's mother in this Chapter but it's a very hard thing to do when everyone would be asking, "Why hasn't she called the police yet or something?"
> 
> I tried to make it out that she was convinced enough that Shivu was fine and would return home soon but without some background as to why she thought this it wasn't very believable- my own mother agreed and suggested I just avoid the subject altogether on account of "Shivu's, like, 10. No mother would assume her child would be alright if he'd suddenly gone missing like that, unless he was exceptionally reliable (which Shivu isn't, and to make him such would require a whole change of character). On the other hand if she calls the police you lose the suspense of Shivu and Barry dealing with the situation alone and it'd just cause a whole lot of complications in the film.
> 
> * 24's very vicious in this Chapter, you'll see later he's a bit calmer providing someone isn't, you know, trying to force him under their control again xD he may seem a bit crazy (least that's how the folks on deviantART seemed to view him) but I hope he'll redeem himself later on :P
> 
> *It's interesting to note everyone's reaction here- Cyrus seems to be being cold and not caring if Shivu and 24 are in pain or not, but it's not really that is it? In Cyrus' eyes he's helping them and can't for the life of him understand why they don't want to be helped :P
> 
> *It's fun to note a little mistake I had to fix after writing this Chapter; when Saturn says "We've got 24 and we'll have control of the boy soon" he originally said "we'll have control of Shivu soon" this was just one of the many mistakes had to fix when I realised none of Team Galactic actually knew Shivu's name XD


	8. A Smack on the Stairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Barry reaches Veilstone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof! Me Again! I apologise for the late upload- I'm doing my usual bad habit of writing in which I write up until a certain point then decide the story isn't going anywhere fast and realise I actually have to write up a plan (oooh!)
> 
> So that's what I'm doing right now- if there's a sudden gap in uploads I apologise :)

“So, tell me. Where is the bag?” Saturn asked Shivu.  
Standing in a corridor by a window that over-looked the area outside Saturn, Mars, Shivu and 24 stood bathed in the light from the silver moon that hung in the sky. It was about 2 o’clock in the morning but Team Galactic still had work to do.  
Shivu and 24 stood quite still with blank expressions and clouded eyes, and both completely under the control of Team Galactic. Charon had claimed he had other work to get back to but requested Saturn update him on whether or not they found the item they were after.  
“The bag,” Shivu repeated in a blank voice, “It’s underneath the bushes,” he pointed, “there. I buried it,”  
“Show me,” Saturn demanded.  
Shivu led him outside and to where the bag was hidden. He dug through the soft earth and pulled it out then handed it to Saturn.  
Saturn cringed from an earthworm that was crawling around the strap and reluctantly took the mucky bag.   
He carefully peeled back the zip and removed a metal box. Opening it he revealed a book. It was bound with a cracked leather cover with golden writing that read “MYTHS OF SINNOH”.  
There was a triangle beneath the title and on each point a different coloured glass gem- one of red, blue and yellow.  
He pulled it out and held it up triumphantly, dropping the bag on the ground. “Ah-ha!” he exclaimed, “Oh, Cyrus will be please that I got the book back!”  
“So you’re going to take all the credit as usual?” Mars interrupted, folding her arms and raising and eyebrow.  
“You didn’t do anything,” replied Saturn rolling his eyes, “All you’ve done is shadow me since The Machine Room.”  
“That’s hardly fair, you haven’t given me a chance to do anything,” Mars protested.  
Saturn puffed out his chest with pride. “That’s because Cyrus favours me, so it makes sense that I should be doing most of the work he sets,”   
“Who says he favours you?” Mars shot back, “He likes each of us equally!”  
Mars made a grab for the book but Saturn held it up, out of her reach.  
“Cyrus favours neither of us,” said a voice suddenly.  
The two turned around to see a woman behind them; the fourth, final but certainly not the least of the Commanders was named Jupiter. She was tall and wearing the silver, black and white uniform all the rest had. Her hair was a burgundy colour tied up into a bun.  
“You know Cyrus only picked us because we’re efficient, not because we’re his friends. Anyway, I see you got the book. Nice work you two,” she said. She half-turned and looked up at the moon, “Surprised to see you didn’t mess it up this time,”  
“Untrue!” said Saturn, “I never fail my missions; it’s when I’m forced to work with Mars that things go wrong,” This sentence received a dig in the ribs from Mars.  
“That’s because you don’t work together,” replied Jupiter in a bored manner, “it’s as much your fault, Saturn, as it is hers,”  
Mars should probably have been offended by this but Saturn’s enraged expression made her laugh.  
Jupiter looked past them to Shivu and 24, “Who’s that?” she said.  
Saturn put his hand on her shoulder, “That’s a Team Galactic member,” he said as if she was stupid.  
Jupiter glared at him and slapped his hand from her, “I know that!” she snapped, “Obviously, I mean the one beside him. The one who’s hair looks stupider than yours,”  
“My hair looks stupid…?” began Saturn but Mars quickly interrupted, “He’s a big trouble-maker; it’s a long story. I’ll tell you inside…” and with that the three walked off with 24 and Shivu following obediently behind.

\---- 

Barry had made it to Veilstone City in record time and now snuck through the dark streets keeping an eye out for trouble. He peered around the edge of the Pokémon Centre.   
He was looking for anywhere that looked like a suspicious building. He didn’t know a lot about evil Teams but he guessed somewhere dark and foreboding was where he would find them. He didn’t know how he was going to get in yet but he knew he just had to; for Shivu’s sake.  
“Can I help you?”  
Barry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone’s voice behind him. He turned to see a nurse from the Centre smiling sweetly at him.  
“Oh!” Barry wheezed with relief, “Oh, err… Y-yeah… Do you know where the, oh… I forget the name,” he feigned lack of memory, “The building of Team Galactic…”  
“Oh, yes!” the nurse piped up, “You must mean the Galactic Veilstone Building,” she grinned and pointed, “Right over there!”  
Barry followed her hand to a large, secluded building surrounded by high fencing. The building itself had mirrored windows all around and spikes on the side and altogether looked pretty creepy. “Well,” thought Barry, “That certainly is suspicious enough,”  
He grinned and out loud said, “Alright, thank you!” He ran off in the direction of the compound.  
The nurse turned and went back into the Pokémon Centre and Barry made sure she didn’t come back again before approaching it.  
Although Barry couldn’t possibly have known, he reached the Veilstone building not two minutes after the three Commanders, Shivu and 24 went inside. He went around the side of the building, keeping away from fence which warned of being electrical. He did a full circle before confirming the only way in and out seemed to be from the main gate, which was guarded.  
At the side he began at, he found a patch behind some bushes where the ground was softer and began to dig. He dug deep enough until he could slide under the fence without touching it, though it was a tense moment as he expected to feel a sharp pang of electric at any time.  
He wriggled out and into the bushes on the other side before looking around again; there didn’t seem to be anyone around. He crawled out and snuck across the grass before pressing himself against the cold stone wall of the large building.  
He prowled around it and found an open window above some dumpsters. Grinning to himself he clambered up on top of one and climbed through the window.   
He was in.

\----

It was getting very late as Jupiter paced a smallish room which served as a walk-in wardrobe. She tapped her chin as she walked around a very tired-looking Shivu, “I don’t know,” she said, “Saturn this is a bad idea. The boss will never go for it, you know,”  
“Aw, come on,” Saturn walked up to Shivu and held one of the Team Galactic shirts to him, “It’s not as if he’s actually joining. But if we release him in this state people will start asking questions; we just gotta wait for him to come around, threaten him and get him to spin some story to the police and be done with. You know we don’t know how to undo the power of The Machine.”  
Jupiter shook her head, “So what if he’s a little out of it? People will just think he’s got amnesia or something and that’ll do just fine as a story.”  
“No it won’t; when he comes around he’ll remember everything that went on in here. Temporary amnesia may sound a little farfetched but it’s his combined disappearance that’ll be enough for the police to get a warrant, I’m sure.”  
“Fine, fine,” Jupiter shook her head, “But why does he have to wear our uniform? Can’t we just lock him up?”  
“Well that’s not fair,” Mars jumped in, “He’s gone through enough- he’s just a kid Jupiter.”  
“And I just don’t like him to be different if he’s going to be staying here a while. He may ‘taint’ the others so to speak.” Saturn added.  
“That wouldn’t happen,” muttered Jupiter, rolling her eyes.  
“It could!” Saturn argued, “Some of them are already getting worked up- Charon sent me a message a second ago saying he was bringing #105 to The Machine again because he thought she was coming around. And anyway,” he went on, “He looks stupid and out-of-place running around here in that white shirt and blue scarf,”  
After three shirt attempts, Saturn finally matched one to Shivu’s childish stature and moved on to the trousers. “His legs are too long…” he mused.  
24 stood by the wall looking, as with Shivu, like he could barely keep his eyes open. Mars came to him and said, “You can go, if you want. There’s nothing much for you to do here,”  
“No thank you…” 24 rubbed his eye with one hand, “I will wait for the boy; he will not know where to go,”  
Mars shrugged, “Okay,” she replied, “and stop speaking English, you’ll get into trouble,”  
“Of course, I apologise.” this time 24 spoke in the Galactic language.  
“Okay,” Saturn suddenly snapped his fingers triumphantly, “I’ve got it,” he held up the top and bottom half of a uniform for Shivu, “I gotta say though this kid is a really weird shape,”  
Jupiter shook her head, “Right, great. You’re a genius. Now would you get rid of these two,” she gestured to 24 and Shivu, “before they fall asleep standing up?”  
“Yeah I could do with going to bed as well,” muttered Mars.  
“Just let me…” Saturn took a comb from his pocket and began brushing Shivu’s hair into a neater shape. Since it was so short, he wouldn’t be able to cut it into a bowl cut or dye it yet, but Saturn did the best he could. He turned to 24 who jerked upright when he said, “24 bring…” he paused, “Hey, kid, what’s your name?”  
“Shivu,” replied Shivu blankly.  
Saturn spluttered with laughter, “’Shivu’!” he repeated, “What a dumb name!”  
Mars shouldered him in the side, “Don’t be mean! It’s a very noble name to have.” she sniffed, “And besides your name sucks way more.”  
Saturn looked like he was about to argue but a sharp look from Jupiter stopped him. He cleared his throat and continued, “24 bring… Shivu to your dorm; there should be a free bed there for him. He can stay here tonight,”  
“He’s staying in a dorm; he’s wearing our uniform,” Jupiter frowned, “Sounds very much like he’s becoming a member to me, Saturn,”  
“Oh come on,” Saturn lowered one eyebrow at Shivu, “he’s way too weak to become a member. Although… perhaps he’ll better himself in Pokémon Training instead?”  
Jupiter was about to leave the room to go to her own private dorm when she heard Saturn say this, “Oh no,” she turned on her heel and glared at him, “He is not being trained in anything; you promised,”  
“Just a little bit of training…?” Saturn offered her a charming smile, “Cyrus is always saying we should try and recruit as many people as possible, you know!”  
“He didn’t mean children. They’re useless,” said Jupiter firmly.  
“Aw, but look at him,” Mars gestured to Shivu, “he’d make an adorable Team Galactic member,”  
“Oh, good, maybe we can stop possible attacks by using his cuteness to ward off enemies,” Jupiter replied sarcastically, “No training and that’s final. He can wear the uniform but as soon as The Machine’s affects wear off, he’s out of here.”  
And with that she left.  
Saturn leaned down to Mars and whispered, “So when does he start training?”  
“I’m free tomorrow at 1,” she said in a hushed tone, “I’ll put him in one of the language classes along with some of the other newer members,”  
Jupiter was walking down the hall when she suddenly stopped and sighed, “I can literally feel them going against my orders…” she muttered before walking on.

\----

The floors in the Galactic Veilstone Building were fairly big but Barry checked the whole first floor before coming to the conclusion no one was around. Or, rather, no one he knew.  
Several times he had to hide from people he assumed where members of Team Galactic although each time he succeeded; no one knew he was around.   
He was surprised to find all the people speaking in a language he didn’t recognise and all looking alike but these details didn’t seem important now- all he cared about was finding Shivu.  
He had been looking for Shivu for just over half an hour when he decided to go to the second floor and that’s when he got lucky; walking up the corridor was Shivu and another, older member of Team Galactic.  
Barry gasped and quickly hid; what he couldn’t understand was why Shivu was wearing what he had come to realise was a Team Galactic uniform.  
“…So,” Shivu was saying, “Where am I sleeping tonight?”  
Barry blinked in puzzlement; why was Shivu speaking like this guy was an old friend?  
“With my group in our dorm” replied the member, “The members here are split into groups when we join. Then each group is given a dorm number and that’s where we stay for the night. There will be a spare bed there.”  
Shivu nodded in content, “Okay, I understand better now” he said, “Thank you,”  
“Also when you come to learn our language it is better to speak in that rather than in English; you will get into trouble if anyone hears you.”  
Shivu nodded again, “I understand,” he said.  
Barry could sense something off as the two got closer; Shivu was acting too strange and blank; nothing like his usual happy and excited self.  
24 pointed up ahead, “It is up there; Room 186, okay? Wait outside and I will be back soon with the key- I’ve just remembered I was supposed to deliver some files before I…” he looked a little upset, “Turned. I want to be sure they got there,”  
“That is okay,” Shivu replied. The two walked off in opposite directions.  
As soon as the member was gone, Barry leapt out from his hiding place nearly giving poor Shivu a heart attack.  
“What the heck are you doing Shivu?” he glanced up at his neatly combed hair, “Why are you dressed up like that anyway?” he quickly scuffed up his hair then grabbed his sleeve, “Okay, come on time to rescue you…”  
“INTRUDER!” shouted a voice suddenly.   
Barry jolted in shock and turned around to see the source of the voice but he was horrified to see it was Shivu!  
“Shivu, what are you doing?” he barked, letting go of his arm and backing away.  
“INTRUDER!” howled Shivu again. Barry stood for a second not quite believing what was going on but when he looked into Shivu’s eyes he knew that whoever was standing in front of him was not quite his friend.  
Barry took a few shaky steps back whimpering, “No… Shivu, please…” but Shivu’s eyes displayed no sort of emotion; no recognition.  
Shivu leapt at his former friend and Barry cried out then turned and ran.   
24 came pelting back round the corner, “Shivu, what is the matter?” he asked.  
“Intruder in the base,” replied Shivu, “quickly, we must go after him.”  
A blonde-haired boy with clothes unlike everyone else and running for his life was strange in most places but in Team Galactic it was even stranger; Barry stood out like an lake in a desert and so he had to keep up a fast pace to try and outrun any members he came into contact with; most took one look at his expression and realised he wasn’t there to do any good.  
In his panic, Barry could barely avoid the members who suddenly seemed to be everywhere.   
The pounding of feet behind him told Barry he was now being directly pursued; it wouldn’t be long before the whole base knew he was here and then what?  
Barry suddenly thought of an idea; with a glance behind him he could see there were three members there so he twisted around without reducing speed and jumped at one of the walls. Pushing off it he leapt over them behind him and landed in a roll, quickly jumping up and continuing to pelt down the way he had come.   
He ducked into a doorway where a stairwell was located. He was about to descend them when Shivu pounced on his back and brought him to the floor. They scrabbled on the ground, punching and kicking at each other before Barry managed to stumble up and back off. But Shivu growled and jumped again- this time Barry dodged, moving to one side. Barry’s back slammed against the railing.   
Shivu cried out in surprise as he flailed in midair before crashing down the stairs. His shoulder hit the edge of one and his head whacked off the banister before he met the bottom in a heap. 

 

Barry looked horrified but was thankful to see his friend still breathing. He was about to attempt to help him but the sound of shouting indicated his pursuers had found him.   
Reluctant to leave his friend, Barry hesitated. “I can’t stay,” he thought, “Or we’ll both end up prisoners in this place,”  
He spun around and raced through a door, through an empty lab and round a corner. He skidded to a halt when he saw something in the wall; it was a square hatch with a sign above it written in a strange dialect.  
Barry grinned, “Laundry chute!” but then his face fell, “Or incinerator…” He weighed up his options but when he heard the voices of the members behind him he decided possible burning was better than whatever Team Galactic would do if they got him. Besides, he couldn’t smell any smoke so hopefully that did mean the chute was for clothes.  
Quickly he dived through, hoping nobody had seen him. Barry suppressed a scream as he plummeted down the shaft hitting every corner and making an awful racket even without his yelling.  
There was a dull thump as he reached the bottom and landed in a soft pile of laundry, collected into a cart. He waited a few seconds and listened; no cries of surprise, no yells.   
He peered out from underneath the washing and saw no one around. He breathed a sigh of relief, “That was close…” he whispered as he clambered from the crate, “I almost ended up…” he pulled at a shirt that had got caught on his own and gasped when he saw it was covered in splatters of blood and slices, “…like that!” he squeaked in horror, quickly dropping the garment.  
He didn’t want to think about what had happened to the member who had been wearing that.   
“Okay,” he wheezed, “time to get out properly,” he looked around the laundry room for an exit but only saw a couple of green lights on the ground.  
Something about the lights was strange and he walked over to them; above each was a sign with a map of the building. All the maps had two red ‘x’s on them; one in what looked like a basement room and a second which was somewhere else in the building and painted blue. Barry walked up the line of lights until he saw a map with the blue ‘x’ well outside the vicinity of the Galactic Veilstone Building.  
There were some safety instructions all written in the strange dialect he’d seen upstairs. But, judging by the pictures, this was some kind of portal.  
Barry hoped he was right but with no other option he stepped on it. For a second he felt strange; a rush of cold air flew around him then disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived.  
When Barry opened his eyes, he was outside again.   
He blinked in the sudden brightness produced from the streetlights then slumped against a nearby wall, “Shivu…” he whimpered, “Oh, what am I going to do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're complete! For the mean time anyway or, as I used to say in my old comics "Fin! For now…"
> 
> This Chapter ran completely differently in the previous draft- for a start the only reason Team Galactic decided to 'keep' Shivu so to speak (I mean he's a not a puppy!) was because they didn't want him to 'taint' the others and that was the only explanation I offered for some reason.
> 
> Barry met Jupiter right after meeting that Nurse (who is by no means evil by the way, but I don't see why the general public of Veilstone, especially those nearby, wouldn't know at least where Team Galactic was situated even if they didn't know what exactly they were doing) where Jupiter mistakes him for one of the new members.
> 
> The idea then ran into the next morning where the new members are being given an induction day and Barry sneakily joins them. This idea was ditched because I didn't see why Jupiter would be that dumb.
> 
> Barry is still caught out by Shivu in the same way but Looker has made it to the City by this stage and tries to catch his attention but Barry mistakes him for one of the members and runs, making it out the same way he does in this draft.
> 
> *I gotta say though- Jupiter's line about Shivu warding off enemies with his cuteness was one of the best, I love that line XD
> 
> *Also Saturn's comment that Shivu's "a really weird shape" is in relation to the amount of times my family has told me this- I'm told I have a short torso with really long legs XD
> 
> -And, when I was younger and still at school, we had this problem each year with finding me uniforms (you wear uniforms at all schools in the UK by the way- and it actually sucks quite a lot)
> 
> -It mostly ended up I had (when clothes were still in ages) trousers (pants) that were two years too old and a shirt that was a year too young :P
> 
> Then of course I had really long arms so, yes, clothes shopping with me was a nightmare XD
> 
> *And YES- I know I said "trousers"! Trousers is the UK term for pants, if you don't know already, and the only reason I went for that instead of pants is because "pants" over here means "underwear" (usually a lady's too) so it just tends to make me laugh when I see that XD
> 
> -I say a few American terms when writing- "garbage" "kindergarten" and "soda" being only a few but "pants" I just can't do xD Apologies if it's strange for you to hear that but it was either "trousers" or "pantaloons" so XDD
> 
> *Mars' comment about Shivu having a "very noble name" actually does make sense; Shivu is an Indian that means "One of Shiva" and, as far as I know, is a reasonably common name in India. In saying that, Shivu isn't actually Indian; I don't know, maybe some of his relatives are...? I don't think much into ethnic origin when writing unless it's important to the story :P
> 
> -If it helps, my real name (although it isn't Shivu) was the same name my Great Uncle had, so if we're going to get technical about it let's just say Shivu was named after his Great Uncle too :D
> 
> *Also the book is in fact in a box- I think when I first wrote the first Chapter I didn't know what the mysterious item was going to be (literally, I had no idea- it ranged from a DVD to a VHS of all things and to a Palm-Top Computer but finally rested on a book because, well, books. Books are the shizz man)
> 
> *Furthermore I decided it would reside in a box because it makes more sense to keep your valuables in a safe place and it also explained why Shivu describes it as such in the first Chapter without having to make any major changes. This is also why Team Galactic used a metal detector-like thing to find it; there isn't really a device yet that can scan for books :P
> 
> *This is probably the longest Chapter yet and this is because it was originally split into two. It was an interesting development actually; initially the morning after Barry's escape Shivu is coming out of Mars' language lesson with 24 but not paying attention and falls down the stairs because he's walking backwards.
> 
> After that, well… You'll have to wait till the next Chapter for me to explain! Or I'll give away too much :P
> 
> Although the idea of Shivu falling down the stairs by accident was cute and all, again it just made him seem like too much of an idiot; and that's hard enough to accept with his current character arc!
> 
> *It;s interesting to note that because of the changes, this Chapter was originally called "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"


	9. Shivu's Stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shivu wakes up after throwing himself down the stairs like the genius he is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should mention now that the Chapter notes are taken from this story's posting on Fanfiction.net, so things written may be no longer relevant (as that was about 3 years ago as I write this XD)  
> The rest of the story is already written and posted there, but I highly recommend you stick about here and wait as I'm currently in the process of going through and editing the entire story (it's long overdue, I know) and also adding drawing and adding pictures! :3  
> Some edits are pretty major and affect mostly character development, others are just little edits of spelling or punctuation

24 found Shivu sometime after Barry’s escape. He was still unconscious at the bottom of the stairs and although the members of Team Galactic couldn’t display much emotion he was still startled enough to know he had to get Shivu to Charon and fast.  
He and another member helped to carry him to Charon’s lab where Charon patched him up- Shivu had drifted in and out of consciousness before going out again so Charon ordered him to be sent back to his dorm to rest.  
The remainder of night passed relatively uneventfully and sometime early in the morning Shivu began to awaken. The others members were already up and out doing their various tasks so Shivu found himself alone.  
He sat up, feeling a dull pain in his head- putting his hand to it he found a patch where his hair had been clipped away and he could feel the stitches around his wound.  
Shivu groaned, a woozy feeling overcoming him and he put his head in his hands. “I had better get up and get going,” he thought to himself as he stood up and began walking towards the door, “The Commanders will probably have jobs for me…”  
He stopped suddenly, his body violently and involuntarily jolting.  
His head began to tingle lightly- a feeling which progressively grew more intense. “Uh oh…” Shivu mumbled, “Is that my stitches? Are stitches supposed to feel that way?”  
A sharp twinge of pain overcame him and he fell to his knees. His chest heaving with agonising breaths, Shivu tried to drag himself to the door again, this time planning on going to see Charon as he still believed the feeling was indeed his stitches- something Charon could fix. But there was something behind the pain; he almost felt like something was coming back to him that he’d been struggling to remember.   
And it felt great.

His hearing left him and Shivu’s legs once again buckled underneath him. He fell to one side as a ringing in his ears announced the surpassing of pain. Shivu took a deep, gasping breath as he found he could hear and see clearly.   
The van, the book, the chase, 24’s heroic intervention and The Machine; Shivu remembered it all now.  
He jumped up and looked around him in a panic; he was a prisoner. “What should I do?” he thought wildly, “Run? Hide?”  
He took a deep breath to calm himself, “No.”  
That hadn’t helped him the last few times. He had to do something, but that wasn’t the answer. What had Palmer said before? “Être calme”. Be quiet.   
Considering Palmer was only joking when he’d told Shivu this it had become a very good piece of information and Shivu decided to take the advice. He made a decision to keep his head down.   
He would convince 24 to join him and at the right time and they would both escape.  
He wondered then if 24 should really come along. He didn’t remember clearly every detail of what had happened the day before, feeling that there seemed to be a wall between his “Galactic” and “normal state”, almost like that of a dream but he did remember 24 had definitely been with him when they’d been put under the control of The Machine.  
If 24 noticed something even slightly amiss he might alert the others and that would mean Shivu would be back being a member- a full member this time. Or a ‘slave’ as 24 had rightfully described it.  
He put his hand to his head; it seemed it was only the hard hit that had saved him from being like that for much longer. But Shivu couldn’t just leave him; 24 had risked his life fighting off the members so Shivu could get away.  
“No,” Shivu decided in his mind, “If we escape, we escape together.”

* * * * *

Throughout that day Shivu looked around for 24 and eventually found him filing papers in the computer room.  
“24,” said Shivu, “Listen we’ve gotta go… err… somewhere. Outside preferably,”   
“I cannot,” 24 replied blankly.  
“What?” barked Shivu, “Why not?”  
“I have a job to do here,” 24 said, “And you do too, Master Shivu,”  
“’Master Shivu’?” repeated Shivu, not at all amused. He inhaled and went on, “Yeah but you don’t understand 24- it’s—ehh-- An emergency!”  
In reality Shivu figured if he could just get 24 outside the building and lead him away, he wouldn’t have long to wait before he turned again and then they’d both be home free.  
It couldn’t all be the work of The Machine; identical looks and numbers for names didn’t do anyone much good for their individuality either.  
Shivu took a hold of 24’s sleeve and tried to insist he went along but 24 just shrugged him off and continued with his own work.  
“I must collect the other relevant data and then bring them all to the Boss,” 24 declared to Shivu, “And I am sure you have work to do as well- like learning the language for a start so I must not break the rules by speaking English,”  
“The Boss?!” squeaked Shivu, “Oh man, 24 please don’t go back to him.”  
But 24 ignored him and walked off. Shivu winced and dashed off after him. He followed 24 around as he did his various jobs trying to think of a way to convince him to come outside and through the gates.  
As the sun began to set, 24 lifted two large files which were filled with the papers for the boss he’d been sorting through earlier and walked out of the room they were in. Shivu was viewing a large map of the base- he figured it must be a lot bigger than he initially thought if a map was needed- and he did a double take when 24 swished out the door.  
“24!” Shivu called after him.  
24 turned and frowned, “Master Shivu, please, I’m trying to do my work here. Do you really have nothing better to be doing?”  
Shivu’s heart skipped a beat as he thought he detected some emotion in his voice but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived; that is assuming it was there at all.  
“I haven’t,” Shivu replied though he was sure he did, “so where are we going now?”  
“I told you- to the boss.” 24 said.  
Shivu looked around; he didn’t know the layout well enough yet but, thanks to the map, he did know that Cyrus’ quarters and office weren’t in this part of the building.  
He was about to point this out to 24 when he took a turn into a corridor that would lead him to Charon’s lab.  
Shivu blinked in surprise, “Okay 24,” he said, “I know you’re not yourself right now but you’re really going the wrong way.”  
“No, I am not,” 24 said simply. He entered Charon’s Lab and Shivu followed, looking around; no one was there except for Charon himself.  
24 put the files down then bowed down on one knee. Shivu looked at him in bewilderment.   
“Boss Charon,” said 24, “I am at your assistance and willing to serve you.”  
“Boss Charon?!” thought Shivu.  
“Ah, 24 and young Master Shivu too,” Charon smirked- as he turned Shivu quickly bowed down too.  
“So that’s where 24 got that ‘Master Shivu’ from!” Shivu thought as he gazed curiously up at Charon.   
“You’re so helpful now; the two of you.” Charon went on, “Who knew a little adjusting of The Machine could change so much?”  
Shivu narrowed one eye in puzzlement.

Charon chuckled to himself, “I am such a genius,” he mused, “But as for the moment 24 and Shivu I have nothing I need you to do. Go back to your dorms or whatever. I don’t know what it is you grunts do in your free time,”  
24 nodded and stood to leave and Shivu did the same. But as 24 went out the door, Shivu noticed a computer behind Charon that contained what he’d been working on when they arrived.  
On the screen was a picture of a black shadow-like monster with piercing red eyes. It didn’t look like the kind of thing a scientist would be working on; a creature clearly from myth.  
It was just a painting but it somehow chilled Shivu to the bone and he couldn’t help but blurt out, “What’s that?”  
Luckily Charon seemed far too occupied with the notes 24 had brought him to pay attention to Shivu’s sudden influx of curiosity.   
“That?” He turned to the screen, “Oh that’s Giratina, the Shadow Pokémon.”   
Shivu tipped his head, “Are you researching it?”  
Charon chuckled- not in a particularly pleasant way. “Not exactly.” he replied, “You see, it is written in many different documents that Giratina was put into a prison world by the mythical lords Dialga and Palkia a long time ago.” Charon explained, “They now guard it. But if they were to say…” he rolled his hand, “Be brought from their respective dimensions then Giratina would escape and most likely repeat history by attacking anything and anyone it sees.”  
“But who would do that?” Shivu wondered, “Dialga and Palkia are the Pokémon of space and time; one foolish person might want one or the other but nobody would want to- or even be able to- summon both.”  
Charon’s smile widened, “Yes.” he said, “That would appear to be the case; except our dear Cyrus himself plans to do just that. And he has the means boy; don’t assume it’s just all empty dreams on his part.”  
Shivu swallowed, “But if he does that and you say this Giratina will appear when he does… Shouldn’t we warn him?”  
“No!” All traces of his humour gone, Charon stepped right up to Shivu and bent down, “Don’t even think about it. We keep this a secret just between you and me.” He put his arm roughly around Shivu, “Right grunt?” he growled threateningly.  
Shivu nodded vigorously, “Of course! Anything you say, Boss!” Shivu thought hard about what 24 had said, “I am here to serve you and only you, sir! I am at your assistance!”  
Well it wasn’t exactly wrong, and Charon seemed to accept it anyway, “Good lad,” he said, pushing Shivu away, “Now go on, get out of here. And remember- not a word to anyone!”  
As the young boy scampered out, Charon chuckled darkly to himself, “When Giratina is released…” he said, “Cyrus will finally get what he deserves! And so will I…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omigosh we're at the end again! Hope you enjoyed that one; what could Charon be up too?
> 
> T-t-t-trivia!
> 
> *You may notice a distinct difference in the manner in which 24 speaks in different states; when he's under Team Galactic's control he speaks very formally with absolutely no shortening of words but when he's in his normal state he speaks with lots of "dudes" and "bros" a lot of slang and with a lot of disrespect towards the rest of Team Galactic
> 
> *24's words to Charon are "I am at your assistance and willing to serve you." this was originally "I am at your disposal etc" and before that "I am here to serve you"- the reason I used "disposal" is because one version was "I am at your service and willing to serve you" but that made up for way too many "serves" in one sentence :P and I couldn't find a better synonym for "service" at the time
> 
> (The following was a copy-and-paste from the Fanfiction.net posting, so all points are relevant to that website!)
> 
> Now to answer some questions; I'm really surprised at this websites complexity sometimes but one thing that bugs me most is the fact we don't have a response button for reviews. I guess this is to avoid arguments or something but we can do that through notes so…?
> 
> I sent some notes to people anyway but I thought it'd be nice to reply here too, as that seems to be Fanfictions's way ^-^
> 
> Also I was pretty sure there were two reviews but I can only find one now…? Huh. last thing; this was sent in the last Chapter :D
> 
> Anyway from SpecialCryogonal-
> 
> Q: The story looks good so far, I like the characters you made for the story, it's interesting to see a grunt not in line with Cyrus' plan. I also like the spin you gave on Mars, it's interesting to see her portrayed as caring rather than sadistic and caring only about Cyrus and herself.
> 
> The whole "mind controlling the grunts" thing kind of reminds me of Pokemon Special (although that wasn't exactly Charon doing the mind control on the grunts, it was another character that I don't want to mention to avoid giving away spoilers) and DPA! (except that was Pokemon who were under mind control and not humans).
> 
> On that topic, I do have a small question related to the machine and character motivation: if Charon is the one who designed the machine and its controls, what stops Charon from taking over the team by making the grunts side with him and either disposing of or attempting to control Cyrus and his Commanders? If Charon's like he is in the games, it's surely not dedication to the team. I can think of a few possible explanations (such as the fact that Charon is too afraid of Cyrus to attempt a coup, or maybe the fact that Cyrus is also really good with machines and would detect Charon's plans before they happened), but I'm curious to know your explanation.
> 
> I look forward to reading more of this.
> 
> A: Thank you very much- I'm glad you enjoyed what I've done with 24 and co ^-^
> 
> It was a long shot and I wasn't sure if anyone would like it :O
> 
> I was definitely inspired by that! I thought it was a good way to portray what Cyrus' supposed paradise was going to be like-admittedly I kinda stole it ^^; still, I hope my own twists in the story make up for it xD
> 
> To be honest I hadn't really thought of it (although I do have plans for Charon later in the story) but I suppose Charon's just buying his time- further in the story you'll see he knows something's going to go wrong and that's what he's waiting for (I can't give away too much, of course ^^)
> 
> Rest assured there is a good reason he doesn't act just yet :)
> 
> Thank you for your comment :D 
> 
> \--------------------------------------
> 
> As for A03 now's a good time to mention- I love comments! Please, please, please do send me questions and criticism; I'm always seeking to improve and advice is the only way to do that realistically!   
> Though kindly do refrain from guessing the plot in public comment- dangit, some people are a little TOO good at that! If you want to do that, PM me :3 I'll be happy to discuss!


	10. Not Again!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shivu tries to tell Cyrus he's in danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick question for my readers; do you like the Pokemon mangas?  
> I always assumed it was one of those "if you've read it you probably like it" deals but the mangas aren't as well known as things like the anime outside of Japan so I assumed its lack of popularity was due to people not knowing about it, rather than them actually believing it was bad  
> Personally, I love the mangas; while I think it can have a very "screw you- we're not explaining this at all" thing at times (I think that's more down to the Japanese way of writing than anything) I do think the stories are original and downright fantastic but recently I've been browsing the internet and it seems not everyone feels the same way- in fact a majority of people who read the mangas actually don't seem to like them all :O  
> So yes, I'm always curious to know how you guys feel about them! :D Lemme know ^-^

Normally when one person tells another specifically not to do something and they still plan to, they may wait a few days before actually doing said task- but Shivu was much too impatient for that. Thus not 10 minutes after Charon had told him not to tell Cyrus about Giratina, Shivu sprinted right off down the hall towards his office to do just that.  
As he did so, he thought about the decision he had made to disobey the Commander; he slowed as the simple question entered his mind, “Why am I doing this?”  
Team Galactic had literally caused him nothing but trouble from the second they’d stolen that book, whatever it was, and hadn’t even let him leave once they’d gotten what they were after.  
Shivu felt a spark of anger at this but he ignored it and shook his head. While it was true that Cyrus and his subjects had done a lot of things to him, none of which he liked, he still couldn’t let Cyrus be killed. If only for his own sense of conscious he could not stand by and know Cyrus was getting himself into a bad situation that Shivu could have easily prevented.  
He made up his mind and doubled his speed until he arrived at a door leading to the staircase. Here he slowed, cautious after the last time and crept down the stairs carefully.  
When he left the stairs he began running again but at that point he almost slammed into 24.  
24 seemed very mildly surprised- Shivu had learnt quickly to assume this was the most emotion to expect out of the average member. “What are you running for?” 24 asked.  
“Err, have to talk to Cyrus,” Shivu mumbled, trying to go past him, but 24 grabbed his shirt sleeve and tugged him back, “Have you been given a message for him?”  
“No,” Shivu replied impatiently, “But I have to see him!”  
He tried to pull away again but 24 wouldn’t let him go, “You are acting strangely,” he said firmly, “I am bringing you to see Charon,”  
“No!” Shivu gritted his teeth and quickly recovered himself, “No, wait- I-I…” he took a deep breath and tried again, “I am sorry 24. I am feeling better now. Would you kindly let me go?”  
24 carefully did so- the minute he did Shivu whipped around and scampered away.  
“Shivu,” 24 called, “We are not supposed to be running!”  
24 desperately didn’t want to break the rules by matching Shivu’s speed as he chased him, and he didn’t but he did follow him.  
Shivu made it to the corridor where Cyrus’ office was- at the bottom three of the Commanders had just come through the door. Shivu sighed with relief when he realised Charon wasn’t amongst them and quickly made to go past them but Saturn caught him on the collar and again Shivu found himself being held back.  
“Woah, little one, where are you going?” said Saturn, giving him a baffled look.  
Shivu suppressed a groan of frustration, “I just need to talk to Cyrus,”  
“He’s busy,” snapped Jupiter, “So just run off, will you?”  
Shivu was well aware a normal member wouldn’t have argued but this was an emergency, “I really, really need to see him,” he said, struggling now to sound blank when so much was at stake.  
Jupiter and Saturn exchanged a meaningful glance. Shivu was trying hard not to show any emotions but the desperation in his eyes was obvious.  
“Please!” he tried again, “Just let me talk to him for five minutes, that’s all I’m asking,”  
Footsteps announced 24’s arrival. Shivu winced and turned as he began to speak; “Oh,” he said, “I’m sorry Commanders,” he did a small bow, “Shivu ran away from me,”  
The three Commanders turned to face him. Shivu went white.  
“Did he now?” growled Jupiter.  
“Why did you do that?” Mars asked.  
“N-no reason!” stammered Shivu.  
He tried to pull away from Saturn but the Commander was having none of it and tightened his grip.  
“Oh boy,” Shivu thought, “The gig is up- I’m done for!”

Shivu decided that if he was going to be sent back to The Machine, he was at least going to get his message across first. “CYRUS!” he suddenly howled, “Cyrus open up I need to speak with you!”  
“Argh!” groaned Jupiter, “He’s gone lucid again,”  
“That was fast,” Mars observed in puzzlement.  
Shivu kicked out at Saturn who let him go in surprise- but as Shivu went to dive at the door, 24 seized him around the waist and hoisted him into the air, “No! Disobedient child!” he scolded, “I’m really sorry, Commanders- he’s just acting a little strange today,” 24 explained, his voice straining slightly with the effort of holding Shivu still, “I will bring him back to Charon to get him fixed up,”  
“No!” Shivu cried, “Please don’t bring me back to him- just let me talk to Cyrus! It’s important; when he tries to summon Dialga and Palkia he’ll…!” That was as far as Shivu got before 24 slammed his hand over his mouth. “No don’t bring him there,” said Saturn, “Cyrus and Charon are the only ones who know how to use it, and both are too busy right now…” he tapped his chin in deep thought, “We were supposed to think up a threat for him, weren’t we?” Shivu wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but he didn’t like the sound of it. “What on earth do we threaten him with?” Jupiter asked, “Unless you know where he lives?” She looked at Saturn, then Mars- both shook their heads. “Ah,” Saturn waved his hand dismissively, “Forget it, for now. We’ll bring him to the cells beneath the building until we can think of something” “The cells?” repeated Mars, looking horrified, “Saturn you cannot bring a child down there, it’s unethical.” “Well, it’s either that or we leave him in one of the dorms; and look how that turned out last time.” Jupiter argued.  
“And besides, I know we’re teaching him our ways but he hasn’t learnt much, and is not much use to anyone yet.” added Saturn, agreeing with her.  
Mars didn’t look happy but she didn’t say anything else.  
Unexpectedly the door to Cyrus’ door opened and Cyrus himself emerged. “What is going on here?” he said in his emotionless voice.  
Everyone turned at his entrance. “It’s the boy sir,” sighed Saturn, “He’s somehow been released from the control of The Machine.”  
“Cyrus!” Shivu had managed to wriggle his mouth free from 24 and was now yelling desperately, “You can’t release Dialga and Palkia, or--!”  
But once again 24 smacked his hand over his face and quickly said, “My apologies, Master Cyrus, but Shivu is not feeling well.”  
“What was he trying to say?” asked Cyrus.  
24 shook his head, “I am sure anything he wishes to say would simply be a result of his chaotic mind, sir.”  
Cyrus nodded, satisfied, “Quite right,”  
Shivu’s eyes widened and he redoubled his efforts to talk. “No!” he cried in his mind, “That’s not it! Please listen to me!”  
But Cyrus wouldn’t even look at him. “You said you were bringing him to cells?” Cyrus turned to Saturn who nodded, “Good idea- go ahead then.”  
Saturn looked ready to burst with pride at Cyrus’ approval, however deadpan it had been. Shivu began to wriggle wildly but it was no use; 24 was much stronger than he was.  
“Oh, Cyrus you’re done for now!” Shivu thought in despair. 

\----

Shivu tried hard to escape the cell but it was very much completely secure. After the last few escape attempts, Team Galactic were no longer taking it easy on him.  
The cell was made of rough grey brick walls- the plain stone flooring added neither colour nor comfort to the small room.  
A thick steel door with various bolts and locks on the outside ensured that whoever was locked inside wouldn’t be able to escape very easily.  
There was a small window, too small for even Shivu to get through and even if he had have been able to the window was barred.  
There were chains too that were clearly for restraining a person to the wall. Shivu gulped as he realised he was lucky that he had at least been allowed to have his own free movement- and in this place it seemed any piece of freedom should be considered a gift.  
On the way down, Shivu had overheard Saturn saying the minute Cyrus or Charon were done with their work they would put Shivu back under the power of The The Machine, until they could come to a decision on what to use to keep him quiet when they finally let him go. Shivu had heard Saturn confirming earlier that none of the three knew how to use it; otherwise they would have simply done it themselves.  
The thought of becoming a mindless slave again chilled Shivu to the bone and he convinced himself to try again with escaping. By the time night fell, Shivu was exhausted but not quite ready to admit defeat yet.  
He decided the minute someone opened the door, he would run straight to Cyrus. He had to make it this time or Cyrus was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shivu: Okay this time I can't get caught. *5 minutes later* well.
> 
> Seriously Shivu if you were a secret agent or something you'd have been killed long ago :P
> 
> Alright let's have some tea and trivia people.
> 
> *Shivu's reaction to someone telling him not to tell someone is purely me; granted I consider myself to be very good with secrets but if someone says something I believe immediately affects them, or will somehow hurt them if I don't tell them, I tell them. Secrecy? What's that?
> 
> *Also my personal rule is "in the event that everything goes wrong, running or screaming your lungs out normally works"- apparently this also applies to Shivu :P
> 
> *Oh sure, tying Shivu to a bed doesn't work but put him in a stone room and you've found his one weakness XD Actually, it's just because the plot calls for it- Shivu's more or less the next Houdini in the Black and White comic :P
> 
> *I literally spent about 4 days writing this Chapter. Not because it was complicated but because I kept having to leave for some reason! Earlier in the morning I began to get a migraine so I had to leave to take some painkillers and as I was coming back down the stairs I noticed the floor was a bit dusty and so I thought I'd hoover a bit. But wait! Is that a sock I see? Eh, better pick that up before I hoover. In fact those papers have been sitting there for a while;better put those in my file. Hmm... those blinds could do with a dust too... Oh woah look at the front room; the ornaments definitely need shining up!  
> So 2 hours later the house is clean, my migraine is gone and Shivu's still frozen in time running to tell Cyrus what's up.  
> I decided to cook my lunch and then my dog brings me his lead so it's time for a walk! Another 2 hours later I return home and the post has arrived; oh look it's my provisional driver's license form I gotta fill that out!  
> 3 o'clock my sister shows up and we chat for a few hours before my mum and brother come home and then it's dinner time. FIFTEEN HOURS LATER I finally get to sit down and have no idea what the heck I'm supposed to be writing XD  
> Oh and then of course my brain reminds me I need to shower for work the following morning *shot*  
> This is more or less the reason I don't manage to get chapters up daily; I can type at astonishing speed and any problems I have with wording are normally solved quite quickly because while I'm doing other things I think about how I'm going to describe stuff :P
> 
> That's more or less it for this Chapter; sorry it's so short! Be seeing you mon compains!


	11. Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which- funnily enough- a deal is made!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped to get this one out sooner! Funnily enough the original upload was also delayed- this time around it was because A03 was down for maintenance yesterday, and I was also out most of the evening XD  
> I also fixed a bit of major plot point in Chapter 10! I originally had it that Saturn went from saying "oh, let the affects of The Machine wear off and then we'll just threaten Shivu" but he suddenly changed in 10 to "Let's put him back under!" for no reason XD  
> So I gave a bit of an explanation to that- it's not the best, but I've just patched the hole so to speak xP I'll fix it properly later

The next morning Shivu had fallen asleep curled up in a ball in a corner of the cell. He was meant to be keeping watch on the door, but had gotten too tired sometime around 2am. The cold had sapped his strength and when Shivu awoke because he heard the door unlocking he was so stiff from shivering all night he only managed to stagger upright when Charon walked in.  
Shivu gasped through gritted teeth and lowered his head; now he was done for.   
“Hello there, little Shivu,” Charon grunted.  
Shivu stepped back against the wall, trying to stop his teeth from chattering with fright.  
Charon put down a doctor’s bag beside the door and pulled out a stethoscope. “Take it easy, kid; I’m only going to examine you.”  
Shivu gulped, “Don’t lose it,” he thought to himself, “He only has everyone else’s word that you’re back to normal. Maybe you can fool him.”  
He nodded, “Of course, Boss Charon.” he said.  
“Shh!” snapped Charon, “There are guards outside the door,” he whispered, “I don’t want them hearing you calling me that,”  
“Of course… Sorry, Commander Charon,” he lowered his head in a bow of apology.  
“That’s better.” Charon came over and listened to his chest. There were a few muttered words and “hmms” and “ahhs” thrown in every now and again.  
He went back to his bag and lifted a torch, then proceeding to check Shivu’s eyes. Finally he pulled something out of his pocket; Shivu didn’t see exactly what it was.  
In fact, it was a simple sewing pin and Charon quite suddenly jabbed it into Shivu’s forearm. Shivu yelped and jumped back, “Jeez, what was that for?!” he barked, rubbing his arm where the needle had pricked him.  
“Okay they were right,” said Charon with a sigh, “You have come around; your heartbeat is too fast, your eyes are too bright and none of the regular members would react to being poked with a needle like that.”  
Shivu flinched, “N-no, I’m fine,” he insisted.   
Charon ignored him and continued, “Well, there is one more question I want to ask,”   
“What’s that?”  
Charon suddenly grabbed Shivu’s scruff and roughly shook him, “Why did you go to Cyrus after I specifically told you not too?!”  
Shivu tried to release his grip, “I had to!” he shrieked, “I couldn’t just let him get mauled by that monster you showed me yesterday!”  
“Pah!” Charon chucked Shivu to one side, “Typical; a child not listening to orders!” He closed his eyes and there was silence in the cell for a moment before he opened them and snapped, “Well?!”  
“Well what?” Shivu cried.  
“What did Cyrus say to you when you told him?” Charon demanded.  
“I didn’t get to tell him!” Shivu wailed, “I tried but they wouldn’t listen once they realised I had come around again! And when I almost got the chance, 24 convinced him I was just talking nonsense.”  
Charon snorted and chuckled, “When he’s in the right state, 24 is very helpful.”   
“Charon please,” Shivu took Charon’s arm, “Just leave Cyrus alone! Why are you doing this?”  
Charon shook him off, “A child like you couldn’t possibly understand my elaborate tactics.”  
Charon began to pace as he thought. Then he grinned, “Cyrus is a bigger fool than I thought, but this is perfect. He won’t halt his plans and that means mine can move ahead.” But he frowned again then turned to Shivu glaring, “But try and tell him again, and I won’t only kill you but I’ll kill Barry too.”  
Shivu gasped.  
“And I’ll,” Charon came up close to him, “make you watch,” he said, poking Shivu hard in the chest with each word.  
But Charon still wanted something more off Shivu, and if there was one thing he knew the most about was that people tended to do what you wanted if you gave them something in return; normally something they wished to have most.   
“Now,” Charon straightened up and took a step back- he noted how Shivu exhaled with relief when he gave him some space. “I also want you to follow me loyally. Any information that may interest me spoken by the others you will report straight to me and you’ll consider me your new boss in place of Cyrus; of course if anyone asks you’ll claim you go with Cyrus till the end but you and I, kid, we’ll know different.”  
A flicker of a frown crept onto Shivu’s face; he didn’t like this one bit but Charon had a trick up his sleeve.

“In return,” he added before Shivu could reply, “I’ll help you blend in here. I won’t bring you back to The Machine but I’ll tell everyone else I have. I’ll tell you how to act and what to say and no one will be any the wiser.”  
Shivu looked like he was listening now.  
“This way,” Charon went on, “You get what you want and I’ll get what I want.” He stuck out his hand, “Is it a deal, kid?”  
Shivu thought about that, “I’m not getting out of here so easily, am I?”  
Charon shook his head, “Nope.”   
Shivu’s shoulders slumped and his head lowered. He closed his eyes in defeat before putting out his hand, “Deal,” he mumbled.  
“Good boy.” Charon gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Now come with me; I have some acting to do for Cyrus.”  
Shivu sighed and followed along. As they passed the guards Charon told them to stand down and leave, since they no longer had anything to keep an eye on.  
“Did you make a deal with 24 too, to make him follow you?” Shivu asked quietly.  
Charon shook his head, “I modified the settings on The Machine. Not for all the members, but just for a few that I thought would work harder than average. Now they follow me and nobody else,” He smiled a nasty smile.  
“But why…?” Shivu wondered.  
“Now, that you don’t need to know.” Charon eyed him, warning him not to ask any more questions.  
Shivu looked crestfallen at the thought of his friend once again put under mind control.  
“Hey, don’t look so down,” Charon gave him a thump on the back- the gesture was meant to be friendly but it almost knocked the much smaller child off his feet, “I won’t mess around when and if 24 breaks free again- Cyrus normally punishes him by putting him in solitary confinement or something while he’s still lucid. I’ll just put him back under control and he’ll not even remember what happens to him. So all in all, it’s less painful for everybody, right?”  
“I guess,” Shivu replied but he still wasn’t happy; what was he going to do now?

\----

Sometime much earlier, Barry had appeared through the portal in the middle of Veilstone City and ran as far as he could.   
He stopped some way away from Team Galactic’s building in an alleyway that was full of rubbish and other discarded debris. The city was quiet and still around him. Exhausted, he sunk to the ground beneath the tall walls of the dark alleyway, huddling in the shadows. He tried to stifle his ragged breathing and listed carefully- he soon realised that he was no longer being pursued. Team Galactic had given up.  
Barry sighed with relief but his thoughts soon became troubled as his mind turned to Shivu; what had been the matter with his friend? Why had he turned on him?   
A cold, betrayed feeling came over Barry but along with it a sense of questioning and disbelief. “No,” he decided out-loud. Shivu had not done that; could not have done that.   
He didn’t know how Team Galactic had done what they had, but Shivu had chased him, pointed him out- all against his will. Barry made a decision to return to the nefarious Team in the morning; for now he would check into the Pokémon Centre he’d seen earlier. There he could keep an eye on the building and no one would ask questions because Barry could easily pass for a novice Trainer because of his age, although like Shivu he hadn’t received his first Pokémon yet.  
Suddenly Barry heard a crunch from the front of the alley- he whipped around and stood up hurriedly.   
A woman stood at the other end; her face masked in shadow and dressed in dark clothing- her appearance made her appear sinister. Barry froze like a Deerling in headlights. She began to come forward, stepping over the junk and occasionally accidentally standing on other things; creating the sound like crunching bones he had heard earlier.

But as she stepped closer, and even though it was dark, the young boy recognised her. “Cynthia?” he said.  
Cynthia stepped out of the darkness and smiled, “Barry!” her grin widened, “I thought I saw you come in here,”  
Cynthia was a young woman and the Champion of the region. She wore a long, black low-cut jacket with black furred rims, black suit trousers and black high-heel boots. She had waist-length sandy-coloured hair and sharp grey eyes.  
Cynthia had been Palmer’s friend for a long time and Barry remembered her visiting many times throughout his life. Barry jumped forward and hugged her, “You have no idea how glad I am to see you!”  
Cynthia returned the embrace and looked down at her young friend, “Why, what’s the matter?” she asked, “And what are you doing running around Veilstone City on your own?”  
Barry paused. Should he tell Cynthia all that happened? He trusted her completely but with such an odd story, Cynthia may not believe him, and it was likely then she’d send him home and Shivu would never be saved. At the same time, the help Cynthia could offer as the Champion would be immensely helpful and Barry realised he could do with such assistance. He sighed, “It’s… It’s a long story actually,”  
Cynthia raised her eyebrows, “Then come back to my apartment and tell me,” she replied, her voice betraying that she sensed the seriousness of the situation. 

\----

As Cynthia led Barry back to her home, Looker arrived on a late-night bus. It had taken time to gather all the equipment he needed; spy-gear (including binoculars and a listening device), a laptop, empty USBs for any interesting information he may find on a computer, a lock-picking kit, a small digital camera and, of course, his bag of fabric and sewing tools which he would use to create a disguise after finding out what exactly a Team Galactic member wore.  
Looker hopped out of the bus and looked around; the town was quiet but, Looker decided, not too quiet. He had decided to stay in a hotel that wasn’t well-known; this place wasn’t the pits but also not so fancy as to expect Looker to socialise so much. This was good since he didn’t like people much anyway.  
He checked into his room and checked all his things were still in working order (he had thought the bus ride to be much more bumpy than necessary) and made his plans for the following morning.   
Tomorrow would be the easy part of the operation; stake-out. After that, to find the book and Shivu, Looker knew things would get a lot harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now everyone's stories are becoming intertwined!
> 
> Save the trees and trivia!
> 
> *Poor Shivu's small encounter with a cold room is based on a few of my own; like most all people there's been quite a few times where I've had no heating and once when my window was broken throughout the winter weeks D:  
> If you haven't experienced this, you do kinda wake up all stiff XD I assume this is because you're body is tensed throughout the night trying to keep warm :P It is quite literally and metaphorically a pain
> 
> *Charon's test to see if a member has broken out of their control is quite unprofessional XD But there wasn't much else I could think of; most of the symptoms are in the mind :P So in the end I decided the main physical attributes were the dull eyes, slowed heartbeat (probably more like that of a relaxed person unless they happen to do some kind of exercise or whatever) and their reaction to pain; Shivu mentions in an earlier Chapter that he kicks a member but apart from some pain he doesn't react at all.
> 
> -The needle idea came from the book series 'The Demon Headmaster' which, like Darkside, is also on some school curriculum (believe it or not I do read books that aren't from school XD). It's a pretty good book series, and another I recommend in which the headmaster of this school hypnotises the kids to do his bidding; it's got some surprising twists and is quite a good story (even if the 3rd book is a little 'what the heck')  
> Back to my point; in that book there's a scene where the Headmaster catches the main character out when she pretends to be hypnotised by commanding her not to feel anything in her arm and then pricking her with a pin
> 
> *Looker's back! It's good to see him again, I quite enjoy his quirky company :) Also making an appearance is Cynthia for the first time! I understand she's pretty popular amongst the fanbase so I hope you'll all be happy to see her  
> Initially she wasn't Palmer's friend (I believe canon-wise she isn't either) but Barry recognises her as the Champion and asks for help- still I thought this slightly weird that Cynthia's first reaction would be 'come to my house, child I don't know and tell me your story!' so I made it that the two were good buddies and that Barry knows Cynthia quite well :D


	12. The Story of Palmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get some exposition~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So on to the next Chapter! It's been a while since uploads and I'm afraid this Chapter won't satisfy that "what happens next?!" question as this is merely filler XD  
> Now, it IS important filler of course- this time we get to meet Cynthia in full detail as she tells Barry about his father and how Team Galactic started! :3 So here we goooo!

Cynthia’s apartment was fairly small but cosy and only temporary for the young Champion if ever she needed time away from the Elite Four- her true home was in a town known as Celestic Town.  
Her apartment in Veilstone faced Team Galactic’s building which Barry decided would be handy should they ever want to spy on them.  
Barry let out a long sigh after telling his story to Cynthia. He realised it was a complicated tale even though it had only really begun.  
Cynthia listened carefully only occasionally asking questions but looking increasingly more concerned. Barry had realised half-way through that Cynthia did seem to believe him, though he wasn’t sure why she ever would- he barely believed it himself.  
“So,” she said, “Now Shivu seems to be with them?”  
“Right,” Barry replied.  
“And Palmer thinks they have the item again?”  
“Again?” repeated Barry in puzzlement.  
“Err, no not ‘again’,” Cynthia shook her head as if at a mere mistake. Barry sat upright- suddenly it occurred to him why she had accepted his story so well; she knew something and she wasn’t telling him what it was. Barry frowned and put this forward.   
“I don’t know anything more than what you’ve told me,” Cynthia responded calmly.  
Barry narrowed his eyes, “Dad knew about Team Galactic and the way he acted made it out like he’d ran into them before and you’re one of his best friends,” he looked up at her pitifully, “come on, Cynthia if you do know something, at least tell me!”  
Cynthia remained silent for a second before she sighed, looking at the floor, “It probably is time you knew…” She got into a more comfortable position, faced him and began her tale, “First of all, you’re right; your dad has met Team Galactic before. Back when he was younger, he travelled a long way around the region under the guidance of Professor Rowan. You know him?”  
Barry nodded; the renowned Professor lived in Twinleaf Town where he had just moved too, but Barry had heard of his work with Pokémon research like most everyone in Sinnoh. Still, he had no idea his father had travelled with him as Palmer had never mentioned it.  
“Throughout his adventures,” Cynthia continued, “Palmer accidentally stumbled upon the three Lake Guardians, Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf. Do you know about them?”  
Barry shook his head.  
“They are three legendary Pokémon that are said to guard the three Lakes in Sinnoh; Lake Acuity, Lake Verity and Lake Valor. They are said to represent knowledge, emotion and willpower respectively.” Cynthia explained.  
Barry frowned, “But they’re just legends, right?”  
“That’s what everyone has been led to think because they don’t appear much, but Palmer realised otherwise. He befriended them, after a time, and wrote down all the information he gained from them in a notebook which he and Rowan studied together.   
“Palmer and Rowan realised a lot of what is written in myth was very much real but Palmer kept his discoveries a secret because he knew that in the wrong hands both the Lake Guardians themselves and the things he’d found out could be turned against the very universe we live in.”  
“But someone did find out,” Barry guessed.  
“Right; sometime much later, a little while after Palmer had met your mother and you were born, Team Galactic found Palmer with the Guardians and attacked. The Guardians fled as Palmer held the attackers off with his Pokémon but it didn’t take the posse long to discover that the information they desired could be found in the notebook.  
“When Palmer refused to hand it over, they began making threats and attacks on your home; perhaps you don’t remember as it was so long ago for you.”  
Barry shook his head, “I don’t,”  
“Palmer sought help with the International Police,” Cynthia began.  
Barry interrupted, “The man in the forest!” he whispered.  
“That’s right; your description perfectly matches Looker, an agent for the Police.” Cynthia smiled fondly, “He’s a smart guy, with a big heart even if he is a little scatter-brained.”  
Barry gestured for her to go on and she did, “Looker began leading a false trail as if to make it seem that you were all planning to move to Hoenn. But in the meantime, Palmer made his own preparations to move to the house you were just in; it was such a quiet place that he knew it was unlikely anyone would find him.  
“And they didn’t- the threats stopped and Palmer, myself and Looker all firmly believed Team Galactic had given up the chase.”  
“Did dad move to Twinleaf Town because of that?” Barry wondered.  
Cynthia shook her head, “No, this move was for you and only you- Palmer wanted you to have more room, not to mention close to Rowan and Shivu for when your Pokémon journey began. But…” she looked troubled, “I guess Team Galactic had other plans- they never truly did give up the search, and now they’ve got the book, I fear we’re all in danger.”   
Barry gulped, “But what about Shivu? Why did he chase me like that?”  
“That’s a whole different story,” Cynthia said gravely, “You see when Team Galactic started to bother your father, I did my research into them to try and help out along with Looker. At first it was just an average job- people came in during the day and went home at night and what they worked on was still a ‘new world’ but no more strange than what a religious group might do.   
“But as time passed Cyrus got more and more obsessed with perfection and wished it to be within the workplace even if it wasn’t quite within the rest of the world yet.   
“So he began making strict rules- things like the uniforms, the identical haircuts, the way they stayed there overnight and so on. But the people there didn’t like this change much; they said it was unethical. Cyrus didn’t like the rebellion so he hired a scientist named Charon and demanded he create a device to make them listen.   
“Charon had no problems with making such an evil piece of equipment and he came up with The Machine; something which literally controlled the intellects of everyone there and made them into mindless soldiers, completely under the influence of Cyrus.”  
Her tone darkened, “This is what I believe had happened to Shivu; I think they put him under their control so they could find out the location of the book. Shivu is not a stupid boy, I’m sure he tried to hide it from them.”  
Barry’s eyes widened, “I knew he wouldn’t do that to me by himself!” he breathed.  
There was a small silence in the room before Barry stood up and looked out the window at, “But there’s one thing I don’t understand,”   
Cynthia inclined her head, inviting him to continue.   
“What have the Lake Guardians got to do with Team Galactic and that new world you mentioned?”   
Cynthia closed her eyes, “That I don’t know- we never did find out before.”  
A long silence stretched ahead, as Barry and Cynthia circulated all they’d learned in their minds. Barry stood and walked over to the French windows which opened on to Cynthia’s balcony. Out of the distant mist loomed the Galactic Veilstone Building.   
“You and me,” he said finally, “together could we help Shivu? And stop Team Galactic?”  
Cynthia grinned and nodded, “When Palmer told me the book had gone missing I decided to come here for that very reason.”   
“Then you’ll help me?” Barry grinned.  
“Well…” Cynthia looked at him solemnly, “Barry you’re a brave kid but you don’t even have any Pokémon,”  
“I can borrow my dad’s,” Barry offered, “They’ll listen to me; they’ve done it before. And besides,” he added, “If you find Shivu in that place, he won’t know you as well as he knows me. Perhaps if he sees me again, I can make him snap out of it!”  
“Perhaps…” Cynthia thought about that, “Perhaps you’re right. But first, we do need to call Palmer…”  
“What, why?” gasped Barry.

“Because,” Cynthia replied patiently and with a hint of amusement at Barry’s dismay, “He’ll be worried sick about you! Give me a second,” She stood and went to the phone in the kitchen and began dialling the number.  
Barry followed and listened anxiously from just outside the door, afraid his father would insist he come home.  
“Palmer? It’s Cynthia.” she chuckled at something Palmer said over the phone, “Yes I know- it’s okay he’s here with me.”  
On the other end of the phone Palmer sighed with relief, “I’ve been looking for him everywhere! You tell that boy when he gets back here; he’s going to be grounded till he’s 30!”  
Barry put his hand to his forehead and groaned.  
“Now, Palmer,” Cynthia shook her head, “Barry was just concerned for his friend. But while he’s here I was thinking maybe it would be better for him to stay with me. You know, in case Team Galactic comes after you…”  
Barry listened intently as Cynthia trailed off and waited for Palmer’s reply.  
“Maybe that would be better,” he said at last and Barry sighed with relief, “He’d be safer with you than with me,”  
“Exactly,” Cynthia smiled, “And if things go awry here he can come back with me to the Elite Four- there’s no place safer than there!”  
Palmer was incredibly grateful and after he’d spoken to Cynthia for a while about the arrangements he spoke to his son. Being the concerned parent that he was, the first thing he did was chew his son out for disappearing the way he did. Barry apologised and expressed his worry for Shivu to which Palmer sighed and accepted this as an excuse.   
Barry agreed to come back the following morning to pick up some things and from then on stay with Cynthia till the heat died down.  
After he hung up he asked, “Is that really the only reason you’re letting me stay- to keep me safe?”  
“It is partly the reason,” Cynthia admitted, “But you’re right about Shivu; if there’s one person who can bring him back around it’s you.”  
“Do you think it’s possible? To bring someone out of Team Galactic’s control I mean,”  
“I’m not sure; when I was doing my research there wasn’t much about it. But I cannot believe that the human mind can be so easily destroyed for good- I’d wager there’s a good chance.” She looked at her watch, “Now come on; it’s time for bed, it’s really late. You can sleep in the guest room, alright?”  
Barry nodded, “And then tomorrow, we rescue Shivu!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real question here is not about Team Galactic but what on earth did Barry wear when he went to bed *has a weird image of Barry in Cynthia's nightgown* huh... Well anyway!   
> So I know that chapter wasn't too exciting but at least we now know what Barry and Cynthia are going to be up to!
> 
> Now let's sit and have a talk on some trivia...
> 
> *Cynthia's description on what happened before Team Galactic went psycho so to speak was actually initially spoken by 24- 24 was supposed to explain this to Shivu in a deleted scene where they both ended up in a cell together (this was more or less the last scene where Shivu was in the same place)
> 
> *I don't like the art in this one XD I like the bottom half whee we get to see Cynthia's apartment and her talking to Barry but not the top half xP It was intended to look tribal kind of?? Just to show it's a story?? But I messed up XD I still have the .SAI version saved, so one day I'll edit it and make it looked better ^-^


	13. Escape From Team Galactic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which STUFF GOES DOWN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go; one of the most exciting Chapters in this story! I had a little trouble writing the beginning of it; I felt I wasn't putting enough energy into it, but as the Chapter began to take off I really got a feel for what I was going for, and some Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe (two of my favourite film score writers!) helped me along to put some speed into it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
> 
> I should also mention that virtually all of the vocabulary mistakes in Looker's dialogue is always done on purpose; also things like saying "Chatoted" instead of "parroted" which you'll see later; I got this idea from the awesome author CherryJacks on Archive of Our Own!

Throughout the following morning Looker did as he had planned and scoped the building from a nearby hill. It was easy to get pictures of the members for reference and by that afternoon he had printed them out and was already working on a disguise.  
He bought two well-made white t-shirts in a nearby store; one long-sleeved and one short-sleeved. He dyed the long-sleeved one a darkish grey and carefully sewed a black material around the back and on the sides.  
He embroidered the golden ‘G’ on to the chest and turned up the collar and added some hard plastic to imitate the rounded collars of the uniform.  
Next he combined black shorts and grey trousers of a similar fabric with white boots. He looked at the pictures quite a few times throughout the creation and when he was finished Looker decided he had made a pretty decent replication.  
Next came the wig; Looker’s hair was much too short to fashion into a bowl-cut and if he was completely honest with himself he liked it far too much to dye turquoise anyway. Instead he fashioned a net from some scrap material and coloured some faux hair he had in his craft kit.  
With some complexity he managed to make the wig and his disguise was complete.  
“Now,” he thought, “To infiltrate the building!”  
He glanced around the room; everywhere they were threads, materials, and bits of fake hair and altogether it created quite a mess.   
Looker frowned, “Should I clean that up first?” he wondered. He paused then shrugged, “I’ll do it later,” he decided, with a full intention of doing it as much later as he could manage.   
He made sure his uniform and wig fit correctly and walked around the room for a bit, doing various manoeuvres to make sure none of it tore or fell off as he worked. Satisfied, he brushed himself off and left for the Galactic Veilstone building.  
When he had been watching the building earlier in the week he had noticed that no one got in or out through the gates without a pass. Looker could do many things, but creating a fake pass was not one of them so he realised he would have to find another way in.  
He kept close to the fence and began to walk around the perimeter. After accidentally receiving a nasty shock from an electrical current that ran through it he didn’t touch it again. As he was going along he suddenly caught sight of some turned up earth.  
He bent down to examine it and realised something had recently dug underneath it. “A Pokémon perhaps,” Looker thought to himself in his own language. “No matter what did it,” he shrugged, “It’s given me an idea!”  
With a bit of extra digging he managed to pull himself underneath the fence and tumbled out on to the other side.  
He rubbed the dirt off his clothes and looked around to make sure no one had seen him. “I’ve got to get one of those cards…” he muttered in his mind.   
When he arrived at the front of the building there was already someone walking in through the front entrance so Looker quickly followed directly behind them and made it before the doors closed again.  
They turned with mild surprise once they realised he was there and tipped their head. Looker offered them a friendly smile before quickly departing before they could ask any questions.  
He began to make a mental map of the building, taking in every detail he could about each thing he passed- a fire extinguisher that could be used as a weapon and a fire alarm for a distraction. He noticed that there seemed to be a lot of security cameras and so kept his head down in case anyone noticed his features to be out of the ordinary.   
“Although,” Looker thought, “It’s not as if to say everyone around here has particularly distinctive looks anyway…”  
Looker walked around seemingly aimlessly for a long while as he took in his new surroundings. After a time he was passing a room which had a member who seemed to be sorting through files inside.   
She looked up and caught sight of him going past. She stood up and went to the door, “Ay!” she called, “Viow!”  
Looker stopped and turned, “Huh?”   
“Benzesh prinesting na ey Cyrus?” she said, holding out a bunch of files towards him.  
Looker stared blankly at her. While he admitted his skill with various languages, English included, wasn’t exactly admirable he knew that whatever this person had just said wasn’t in any language he had heard of.  
“Uhh…” Looker took the files and muttered, “Oui,” before scampering off. The person watched him leave in puzzlement.  
Looker found a quiet room and looked at the files carefully. The files were in some kind of strange language which Looker didn’t understand. If he took a guess, he would say it was the same one the member had just spoken in.  
Either way, it would take him a while to decrypt it and work out its meaning. There were some pictures depicting a triangle with three coloured points on it; apparently it represented something because the strange language was beside each of the three.  
Looker didn’t know what the girl had wanted him to do with the files, but he wasn’t going to do it. Instead he looked around for a bag to store anything useful he found- he soon located one inside a closet; it was a rectangular shoulder bag normally used for carrying laptops but Looker placed the files carefully inside anyway and put it over his shoulder.  
Throughout the morning he met many members and came to the conclusion that they all did indeed speak a different language. Looker hadn’t predicted this at all and found it hard to talk to them.  
Seeming to believe thoroughly he was one of them, the higher-up members tried to set him tasks to do but Looker couldn’t even manage the simplest ones, mostly because of the language barrier.   
Eventually one of the members, who Looker gathered was Number 77, gave up on him and brought him into the kitchen. 77 handed him a bowl of grey gruel-like food which Looker didn’t think looked appetising in the slightest.  
“Err, no thanking you,” Looker said, pushing it back to 77, “I will buy my lunch in the city or somethings,”  
77 sighed, “It is not for you,” he replied in English- loathing himself for being forced to speak it, “It is for the new member. I want you to bring this food to the new member. He missed breakfast earlier and Charon told one of us to send something down for him.”   
77 gave the bowl to him again and Looker frowned at it. There was a pause before he asked, “What new member?”  
77 put his hand to his forehead and muttered, “Bonkchi…” which simply meant “idiot”. He took a deep breath and explained, “He is with Charon in his lab. That is on the third floor, okay? It is the only lab on that floor. Even you can handle this task…”  
“Righting, righting…” Looker muttered. He wasn’t concentrating particularly well; he couldn’t turn down the task, lest he blow his cover, so he just wanted to get it done and over with and find what he came here to locate.   
77 led him to the stairwell and gave him a key before sending him down to the lab. Of course, 77 forgot to mention the new member’s name and Looker was about to get a big surprise when he found out who it was.  
Looker jogged down many flights of stairs before reaching the third. He found all the doors down here seemed to be computer or meeting rooms- one he peered into was a room full of monitors and Looker saw a member watching them carefully. He realised this must have been where all the security camera footage fed back to.   
He moved along the corridor and found only one room had the distinctive smell of chemicals and flames from Bunsen Burners- “This must be being the lab,” Looker muttered to himself.  
He briefly wondered who this new member was but as he unlocked the door and walked in he jumped in astonishment.   
“Shivu?!” he barked.  
Shivu jumped and looked up. He was the only one in the room and dressed in Team Galactic’s uniform but it was definitely Shivu- Looker recognised him from the passport photo he’d managed to pull up on his computer, after forgetting to get one from Palmer.  
Later, Looker would find out that Shivu had been helping Charon earlier in the lab. Charon had left to do other work but hadn’t trusted Shivu alone and so had locked him in. About the only action that would have reminded everyone that he hadn’t forgotten about the boy was the fact that he did remember to have food sent to him.   
Shivu looked up and tipped his head, “Who’re you?” he replied, “And why are you speaking English?” Shivu would have thought this man was 24 but he had hazel eyes, not gold like his friend’s and a sharper, older-looking face.  
“I’m Looker,” Looker replied, “And I’ve been sent here to commit rescue to you!” Quick as he could, Looker explained the story, “Now we must be in the leaving to get out of here,”  
“What?” Shivu looked perplexed.  
“I mean… Ugh… What is the words? We must be going,” he looked at Shivu to ensure he understood.  
Shivu nodded and eagerly stood up but paused, “Wait,” he said, “If I leave here Barry will be put in danger.”  
“How is that?” Looker asked. Shivu sighed and then another explanation was in place; this time from his point of view; about Charon’s threat and The Machine and how he didn’t know where Barry was.  
“And there’s 24 too,” Shivu went on, “He’s a member; well… Sometimes he’s a member. When he breaks out of The Machine’s control he’s a prisoner again- but he risked his life to save me, Mr. Looker… I can’t leave him!”  
Looker thought about this, “We can find Barry,” he said at last, “He’ll be with Palmer, for definite sures. But as for 24, well, I see no reason why I cannot be making two of the rescues,” he offered Shivu a smile.  
“Thank you Mr Looker!” Shivu sighed with relief.

“There is only one small problem,” Looker said as they snuck out the door; as he spoke he looked all around, attentive like a Watchog, “you will have to find this 24 friend you speak of. I’m afraid I can’t tell the members apart very wells.”   
“That’s a problem you and I share then; I can barely tell the difference between the girls and the boys.” Shivu shook his head then bit his lip with anxiety, “I’m not sure if I can find him so easy, and as soon as Charon realises I’m gone he’s going to come after me; we’re running out of time!”  
“There must be an easier way to find him. I assume by your worrying he’s no longer free of the control?” Looker asked.  
“Last time I checked.” Shivu replied, “If only we could like… View every room at once or something.”  
Looker’s eyes widened and he stopped so suddenly that Shivu bumped into him.   
“The monitor room,” Looker whispered.  
“What?” Shivu asked but he barely got a chance to breathe before Looker grabbed his sleeve and tugged him down past the remaining doors, “I know where to go!” was all he said before he entered the room.  
The member there looked up with surprise as Looker entered. “We need to see the monitors,” Looker said quickly.  
The member shook her head, “No, you cannot. I have not been given orders for…” but that was as far as she got before Looker groaned in frustration and performed a high-jump kick on her.  
She cried out in surprise and flew back, crashing into a shelf containing various VHSs and DVDs from the cameras and slid to the ground, now unconscious.  
Shivu stood dumbfounded as Looker brushed off his bag and then moved over to the screens. He looked at Shivu expectantly, “Well?” he said, gesturing to the televisions, “Are you going to use your eyes to see 24 or nothing?”  
Shivu raised his hand towards the girl, “What about…?”  
Looker interrupted, “She’ll be fine.”   
Shivu let out a breath and shrugged, “Okay…? Okay.”  
He made his way to Looker’s side and began scanning the screens, “It’s hard to tell, even here.” Shivu’s eyes flicked over each image, “There’s nothing distinctive about 24 either unless you’re looking right at his face.”   
“There is not?” Looker asked.  
Shivu paused. Now he thought about it he realised in little snippets of his memory 24 did have something distinctive; a tear up his sleeve that had been sloppily repaired.  
The tear was pretty big and surely would show up on a monitor, the only problem was 24 needed to be at a certain angle for one to be able to see it.   
Still, Shivu informed Looker of the tear and they both began to search for 24. Suddenly something caught Shivu’s eye; a member had just exited the photocopying room carrying a stack of papers.   
Just for one second he raised his hand and straightened his fringe so it sat properly over his head- in that moment Shivu saw the stitching up his sleeve.   
“There!” he cried, jumping at the screen.   
Looker took a note of the small code in the right-hand corner of the screen which read “F5C3”  
“Floor 5, Camera 3,” said Looker, “Alright, let’s go!”

\----

24 walked down the corridor, quiet and content with his work. “I just have to leave these papers off to #99 and then I can offer my help to the Commanders.” 24 thought.   
But as 24 was walking a strange feeling began nibbling at his mind. He shook his head irritatedly but the feeling only got worse.  
“Oh not again!” cried 24 and he leapt back as if he’d been burnt. He dropped the papers and gritted his teeth, “Why so soon?!” he barked- he was angry at himself but not for long.  
He dropped to his knees and cried out as the all-too familiar feeling of his hearing and sight being temporarily lost came over him.  
He swallowed in a sickly way and began to shake. This is how Looker and Shivu found him as they ran up to him in the hallway.  
“24!” Shivu cried as he dropped to his knees and slid up to his friend, “What’s wrong?”  
24 looked up and gave his head a shake, “I feel…”  
“What, sick?” Shivu tried.  
“No…” a smile spread across 24’s face, “Brilliant!”   
He stood up and Shivu got a look at his eyes- instantly he realised what had happened, “You’ve turned!”  
24 thumped his chest with delight; “Yes I have!” he turned to Looker and jolted, crying out in fear. 24 thought Looker was one of the other members with his get-up and quickly stammered, “Err… I mean, uhh…!”  
“Not a moment too soon,” Looker winked, “do not be worrying, 24, I am here to be helping you escape!”  
24 looked to Shivu for an explanation, “Escape…?” he repeated, almost not daring to believe it could be true.  
“Right,” Shivu nodded, “Looker was here investigating the book and my disappearance. He’s come to help,”  
“The book…?” 24 Chatoted again- he remembered something vaguely about watching a bag being dug up from the grounds outside; inside there was a book. Something about it seemed to hold great importance to the Commanders.  
“I remember that, kind of…” 24 said, “What’s it about?”  
“No time to explain now,” Looker glanced down the hallway, making sure no one had followed them, “you must get out of here.” he handed 24 the bag he had purloined earlier, “Take this. It contains files that may be revealing what Team Galactic are up to.”  
He pointed down the corridor, “Downstairs on the first floor, right at the back you’ll find a locked glass door that is supposed to lead outside. Only the Commanders and Cyrus have the key, but next to it you’ll find a blue portal; this leads into the town where you will be safe.”  
“That portal is locked, dude,” 24 replied, “I’ve tried it before.”  
“Not by the time you get there,” Looker lifted from his pocket a small palmtop computer.   
24 looked at it in disdain, “What, that old thing is going to help us?”  
Looker seemed offended, “Don’t disrespect the palmtop--! Oh, never mind. Just go there. I will be opening the portal for you.” He began to type furiously at the tiny keys, “If only this worked on card-operated stuff too…” he sighed.   
“I don’t know if we’ll make it that far, broskis…” 24 muttered dryly, “I’ve tried to escape many times; it’s not as easy as you think.”  
“You can do it, I have one thousand faithings in you.” Looker put his hand on 24’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.  
“That’s a lot of ‘faithings’…” 24 blinked.   
“But wait, aren’t you coming with us?” Shivu asked Looker in puzzlement.  
“No, not yet; I still must retrieve the book.” he looked at Shivu’s worried expression and cheerfully laughed, “I will be back, Shivu, you cannot be throwing me out that easily!”  
Before either Shivu or 24 could say anymore, Looker quickly sprinted off in the opposite direction.   
Shivu turned to 24 and stated quite bluntly, “We’re waiting for him.”  
“Oh hell yeah, bro,” 24 nodded, “No way we’re leaving him behind. We can hide in my dorm; no one ever comes in there during the day.”

\----

As 24 and Shivu made their way to the dorm, Mars happened to be within Charon’s lab’s vicinity and she decided to check up on Shivu.  
She didn’t trust Charon’s child-minding skills so she knew she ought to be sure he hadn’t done something ridiculously stupid to Shivu. “Like setting him alight or something…” Mars thought with a sigh.   
She opened the door but found no one there. She looked around to be absolutely sure but there was definitely not a soul in the lab.  
She frowned and tried to calm her now-racing heart. She put her hand to her headset and called Charon, “Charon, where is Shivu?” she asked with far more concern than she had intended.  
“The brat’s in my lab,” Charon replied nonchalantly, “Probably eating lunch; 77 sent a member down there with his meal.”  
Mars could see the uneaten food on the tray on one of the tables. “Which member?” she asked.  
There was a pause on the other end of the line, “I’m not sure; now you mention it...” he paused and Mars could hear him talking to 77 as he covered the mouth piece. There was a sound of annoyance from Charon when 77 replied to his question, “77 says he’s never seen him before.” Charon finally said.  
“Shivu isn’t here.” Mars broke the news to him at last, “The lab is open and there’s no one around.”  
Another pause and then Charon said something that Cyrus would have likely frowned upon. “Sound the alarms,” Charon told her, “inform the members Shivu’s gone and it’s likely an outsider is posing as one of us.”

\----

Shivu and 24 were almost at the dorm when they leapt in fright as alarms suddenly started blaring all around them- red lights flashed and the sound of commotion in the rooms around them could just be heard over the loud horn. Shivu covered his ears and cried, “What is that?!”  
“Intruder alarm, dude!” barked 24.  
Shivu’s face turned white, “Looker…”  
24 looked down at him, “He’s the intruder. But it’s probably not just that; someone’s realised you’re missing, bro. Or me.” 24 closed his eyes and looked deeply troubled. His eyes snapped open, “We have to go.” he said sternly.  
“What?” Shivu gasped, “We can’t leave Looker!”  
“We have to or we’ll all be captured again,” 24 began to push him towards the end of the corridor where Looker had directed them, “Come on, run!”  
Shivu knew he was right. He tried to tell himself Looker would get out all right; he was a member of the police after all. There was a small chance, but Shivu was concerned that even Team Galactic would be too much for him to deal with. Even the best-trained fighter could be brought down by sheer numbers.  
Closing his eyes tightly, Shivu began to run alongside 24. 

Meanwhile, Looker had become surprised too; he knew the alarms must be for him or at least Shivu and 24 and he quickly redoubled his efforts to find the book.  
It was hard going and every member he came into contact with had to be brought down.   
Looker came to a halt as he ran into three members. “Introlec…” one of them hissed- a word that simply meant “intruder”.  
Looker didn’t know the translation but he could guess it didn’t mean good things for him. “La oss gå, Lag Galaktiske!” Looker said in his native tongue before jumping at them.  
He swiped the first member up into the air before jumping back to the floor on his hands to kick her back by swinging his legs forward. He twisted around to block the oncoming attack from the second member before grabbing her arm and throwing her hard over his back.  
From his hidden belt a Poké Ball trembled and out came a Croagunk. It jumped up from behind Looker and stabbed a Poison Sting attack into the third and final member.  
“Thank you, my faithful partner!” Looker grinned before exchanging a small high-five with his partner Pokémon.  
They continued on as, down in the floors below, 24 and Shivu were doing much the same thing; having to take out members they happened to run into. As they neared the second floor the duo ran into none other than Mars.  
With her, Mars had several members and her Purugly. “There you are!” she sighed with relief as she looked at Shivu, “You found him 24?” she looked up at the young man and raised her eyebrows questioningly.  
24 quickly grabbed Shivu’s arm, “Yes I did.” he said in a blank voice, speaking in the Galactic language.  
Shivu caught on and played along, “Let go of me, you monster!” he growled, pulling away but not hard enough for 24 to accidentally lose his grip.  
“What about the intruder?” she asked.  
“I could not catch him; he ran away when I arrived.” 24 replied almost calmly but in his hand Shivu could feel his pulse racing.  
“Alright, well let’s get him back to Charon and The Machine.” Mars began to turn away.  
24 let Shivu’s arm go and then snarled, “Just one problem with that,” he dug his heel into Purugly’s tail, making it screech with pain. Mars spun around in surprise just as 24 struck out and hit her right in the face.  
She fell back as 24 and Shivu took off past her and the members, narrowly missing a Shadow Ball attack from Purugly.  
“That felt pretty good,” 24 chuckled to Shivu.   
They sprinted down the next flight of stairs with the members now chasing after them on Mars’ command.  
Shivu jumped ahead and as 24 dived through the doors as the bottom that lead to the first floor. Shivu then slammed them shut, turning the lock and trapping the members temporarily behind it.   
“They’ll have keys, you know,” 24 said as they ran ahead, “But quick thinking, kid!”  
“It’ll slow them down, that’s what’s important,” Shivu replied.   
24 nodded as they bolted from their pursuers, “I’m starting to believe we might just make it this time!” a grin spread across 24’s face, the prospect of freedom now making him ecstatic. “Ha-ha! We are, dude, we are going to make it!”  
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” shouted a voice. 24 just about avoided an attack from a Toxicroak. He looked up ahead to see Saturn glaring at them with the Pokémon by his side. “How many times do I have to tell you,” he growled, “No one escapes Team Galactic!”  
“No one except me!” with a cry, 24 charged forward and leapt cleanly over Toxicroak, landing before Saturn.  
Saturn got into a battle stance but 24 didn’t give him the chance to prepare; with incredibly speed he began dodging and throwing punches and kicks at his foe. Shivu could see his friend was getting the better of the Commander.  
The hope of real freedom was relighting a fire inside of 24 that had long ago been extinguished by Team Galactic. When Saturn realised he was being beat he cried out for his Pokémon who leapt to his aid.   
“24 watch out!” Shivu sprang at him and just in the nick of time managed to push 24 from a brawl with Saturn.   
Toxicroak had aimed a Poison Jab attack at 24 but when Shivu shoved him aside, the attack instead hit Saturn right in the chest.  
Saturn let out a strangled groan before falling to his knees and then to the floor as the poison took effect and he passed out.  
Shivu knew he would be alright; Toxicroak had only used enough to knock out its foe and that’s exactly what had happened- and he would remain that way until someone gave him an Antidote.   
Shivu and 24 took their leave as Toxicroak quickly went to get help for his human partner.  
“We’re almost there!” cried 24. Shivu looked up; sure enough at the end of the hall he could see the glass door Looker had spoken of along with the portal beside it.  
As they got closer Shivu heard the sound of pursuit. He looked back to find a posse of members behind them and gaining fast, “Damn it, they’ve found us!”   
“Maybe but they sure as hell aren’t taking us back, not when we’re this close.” 24 ignored the burning pains in his chest and sprang, practically soaring through the air toward the portal, “Jump!” he cried to his young friend.  
Shivu landed first and disappeared into a shower of light. He seemed to break into a million pieces before 24’s eyes, although 24 was well adjusted to the strange sight after spending so long in Team Galactic’s base.   
Seconds after Shivu had jumped 24 followed him and gasped as the strange sensation of being teleported came over him.   
Shivu held his breath as he temporarily saw nothing but white but not for long; soon he landed on the solid pavement right in the centre of the city, just as Looker had promised.  
He was alone for the moment before 24 would arrive but as he stood he heard a rush of air behind him; he turned and cried out as he saw a deep blue shape charging towards him…

\----

Looker ignored his Croagunk as he fought outside the room he was in; he knew his companion could take care of himself.  
Instead he focused on rummaging through the drawers he had lock-picked open. He was now in Charon’s Lab where he had initially found Shivu, and he knew if the book was anywhere it was most likely to be here.  
“Ha!” he barked in triumph as he pulled the book from the back, “Got it!”  
He stepped out of the room and whistled for Croagunk to follow. “Now that’s done, let us be getting out of here.”   
Looker skidded to a halt as he came face-to-face with a woman with burgundy hair tied into a bun.  
“Err… but not this way!” added Looker as he turned to swiftly make his exit.   
By her side the woman had a Stuntank. Without as much as a breath for hesitation she commanded it to use Dark Pulse. The first wave of the attack missed Looker but hit Croagunk. It was when Looker turned in alarm to help his friend that Stuntank took the opportunity to attack again- this time hitting Looker square in the chest.  
Looker cried out and fell to the ground hard. The air was knocked from his lungs when the attack made contact with him but Looker didn’t feel much pain- he was well and truly unconscious.   
Jupiter walked up to him, “After this were you, intruder?” she muttered as she picked up the book, “What a shame that neither it nor you will be leaving here now.”  
After trying to get into contact with Saturn and realising he wasn’t answering for whatever reason, she called Mars and told her to bring members to apprehend the new prisoner.   
She gritted her teeth when Mars informed her that the members had reported 24 and Shivu had escaped, but relaxed somewhat when she went on to say they were now in pursuit of them.  
“Cyrus isn’t going to like this,” she mused as she hung up. “But you,” she looked at Looker’s limp form, “I wonder just where you fit into all this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! So Shivu and 24 is finally free thanks to Looker's help, but at Looker's expense D: I think I've mentioned that Word enjoys pointing out Looker's problems with speech, it also likes reminding me that various Pokémon's names are not actually words (why, thank you Word I had no idea!)
> 
> Sometimes I deliberately annoy the programme by typing silly things- especially when I'm tired, then I just enjoy writing silly things like, '"Blaarrrgg!" Cyrus said, then the Galactic base exploded and everyone died. The End.'
> 
> Trivia is Tricky but here ya go!
> 
> *Looker's Team Galactic disguise is actually a more complicated version of how I made a Team Galactic cosplay- use it as a walkthrough if you wish! The only thing I didn't do was, of course, embroider the logo (it was just ironed on using a print) or make my own wig and boots; everything else was more or less spot-on though.
> 
> * Looker had different ways of infiltrating the base- at first he snuck in in his normal attire, just by waltzing in. After that it was the same way Shivu got in, then it was over the fence but after remembering it was electrified I had to eliminate that idea. Unless Looker is made of rubber or something!
> 
> *Ever since X and Y I imagine Looker to be Norwegian because in that game (no spoilers!) when he counts he says "Ein, tvo, tri, fjore... Fif!" which, after some searching, I found out was Norwegian and more specifically a form of the language known as 'Høgnorsk' which, so I understand, dismisses certain accents and phrases from another form of Norwegian; which may be why Looker skips words to begin with; in his language they may not exist!  
> I'm afraid things on the subject is hard to find; simply Google it if it helps to explain :) Anyway, my point is in my version of the story Looker is Norwegian and if a game is ever released that addresses Norway as an official 'Pokemon Country' (just like Kalos is France) you can rest assured I'll be the first to edit it!
> 
> -Looker's words to Team Galactic towards the end of the story is simply, "Let's go, Team Galactic!" again, I know no Norwegian so I've used Google translator so everything is probably wrong XD If you know Norwegian, please let me know the correct way to say this! :D
> 
> *Trying to find different synonyms for Shivu and 24 "running away" or "then they ran again" was difficult; I still haven't entirely succeeded :P
> 
> *The Chapter was originally just called "RUN!" but I changed it to what it presently is because I thought it sounded much better and also gets the reader a little hyped before the Chapter actually starts :3
> 
> *The Team Galactic language actually has a dictionary of my own creation; thus far it consists of only about 15 words and I sure as heck don't intend to write a whole 'nother language :P Still, it helps to check it every so often to ensure the words are correct; I'll get more into this at the end of the story :3
> 
> *Soundtracks I listened to (and their specific tracks) "Home- Frolicking in Paris" "Madagascar- The Zoosters Escape" "Keepers of the Light- Opening Theme" "The Giver- Escape From the Nursery"
> 
> *I was meant to draw Jupiter's left leg bare as it is in her official art buT I FREAKIN' FORGOT the first time but ehhh I think I'll give her m y own flair and just draw her with a covered leg from now on XD She IS situated in Sinnoh after all- is she not cold? Don't be cold Jupiter you silly goose *hands her several blankets*  
> Come to think of it, everyone must be pretty cold? Those are hardly thick clothes they're wearing... Hm. I'm gonna need more blankets.


	14. A Reluctant Membership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER EVER I'M SO SORRY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that writing "Poke Ball" instead of "Poké Ball" is one of my favourite things to come across when reading XD 
> 
> THIS TOOK SO LONG HELP  
> Proof-reading itself (and the necessary edits) don't tend to take as long (considering the entire story is already written), it's illustrating it (plus finding time and motivation) that takes its time.  
> I do have other artist projects (two comics and various other illustrating for other stories), and I'm also working on plans for a video I want to have up by the end of the year (which may seem like a long time but it takes a while to make one!) 
> 
> I hope the drawings are worth it for this Chapter- I tried to take more time over them; used to be back in the day I'd just draw like a prop or characters on a white background. Nowadays I've learnt more skills I want to try (or show off) and that was the case with this chapter!
> 
> Anywho, enjoy!

Despite the late hour Barry was still clothed and awake in the guest room. Ordinarily he would have been in his pyjamas despite being so concerned about Shivu, but something about borrowing Cynthia’s had put him off.  
Sometime after they’d called Palmer, his father had sent one of his Pokémon to Barry via the Pokémon Centre Storage PCs to help if it was needed. He only had three; a Milotic, a Rhyperior and a Dragonite, although all were quite strong. He had sent Barry his Dragonite, something Barry was delighted by- Dragonite was his favourite of his father’s Pokémon and probably the strongest too.  
Suddenly outside he heard the distinctive loud blaring of an alarm. He sat up and frowned; outside he could just make out red lights dancing on the window pane from somewhere far off.  
His eyes narrowed and he slipped out of the bed and crept over. He peered through the glass- from the guest room he could just make out the Galactic Veilstone Building through the trees that surrounded it; the lights, and probably the sound too, were coming from there.  
Barry didn’t waste a second, he quickly ran into Cynthia’s room. “Cynthia!” he called, “Something’s going on at Team Galactic’s building!”  
Cynthia jumped up immediately, “What?” she said in disbelief, “Show me.”  
Barry led her to the window and pointed. Cynthia took in the scene before her, “What is going on?” she whispered, her eyes narrowing.  
“I don’t know but we need to find out,” Barry replied.  
Cynthia nodded and leapt into action, “Get your Dragonite and my Garchomp ready,” she demanded, before adding a swift and polite, “please.” She jogged into her own room, “I’m going to get dressed.”  
Barry gave a nod before pulling out the two Poké Balls. He ran to the French windows that led out on to the balcony and unlocked them, throwing the doors open and releasing the two Pokémon they would use to fly- he pulled their saddles from the corner of the room and threw them on, quickly buckling the girths and checking to ensure they were secure.  
Cynthia came out a moment later pulling on her coat, “I trust that you can fly?” she asked Barry.  
Barry nodded, “Dad’s been teaching me since I was about 8. I’m good.”  
“Brilliant, then let’s go!” Cynthia barked as she mounted Garchomp’s back and together they swooped down from the balcony and towards the base.  
Barry was flying right behind Cynthia but the speed at which her Garchomp was going at made the wind behind it swirl into a small vortex; barely visible at night but Barry and his father’s Dragonite could certainly feel it as it disrupted their flying. Barry knew this was called wake turbulence and that he had to get above Cynthia to avoid it.  
He called to her, telling her the problem and she nodded, making a motion for him to move upwards.  
Barry did as he was told and Cynthia moved further down nearer the ground to try and dispel the air behind her.  
Just as they were about to reach the base, Barry caught sight of a green panel on the ground ahead of them. He realised with a start it was the same portal devices that were in Team Galactic’s base and worst of all as he stared in alarm, it lit up and began pulsing with power.  
Barry let out a startled cry, “Cynthia!” he yelled down to her, “The portal, dead ahead of you!”  
Cynthia’s gaze flicked from him to the portal and she gasped as something began materialising through it. “They must have seen us!” she shouted up to Barry and then to Garchomp, “Quick, Garchomp; take them out!”  
Garchomp picked up speed and let out a terrifying roar as she charged towards the portal. Just a split second before they hit their target it came into full view. It was Shivu!  
Shivu twisted around at the sound of something approaching and yelled in fright. Garchomp tried to pull up at Cynthia’s alarmed command but she hit him head-on despite her best efforts.  
Shivu was thrown along the ground as Garchomp changed course, doing a loop before coming to rest beside Shivu who now lay on the ground on his back. Cynthia hopped off her Pokémon and rushed to his side.  
Shivu looked up, apparently a little unfocused. Above him he saw Barry hovering on Dragonite, and he jumped up immediately, “Barry!” he cried in relief, “You’re okay!”  
“I’m fine!” Barry called back, “Do you, uhh…?” he swallowed a lump of nerves in his throat, directing Dragonite to fly back a little, “Do you remember me now?”  
“Yes, yes!” Shivu responded, his smile widening, “It’s a long story but I’m on your side now!”  
At that point the portal shimmered again and 24 appeared, landing nimbly on the ground. He looked around as if in a daze, “I’m out…” he whispered, his eyes shining in awe.  
“Team Galactic!” cried Barry and came at a speed towards him.  
“No, no!” Shivu quickly leapt in front of Barry, “He’s a friend!” Barry came to a halt in the air, Dragonite’s wings flapping angrily at 24 who had covered his face in defence.  
“A friend,” Barry spat, “how?”  
“No time,” Shivu replied, “Team Galactic can use that portal just as well as we can.” As he spoke, Barry carefully landed and 24 lowered his arms. “24 saved my life,” Shivu went on, “We’ve got to get out of here,” his stare hardened, “And he is coming too.” he added firmly.  
“Alright,” Barry held up his hands, “Hop aboard.” 24 took a step forward but Barry shook his head, “Not you- Shivu. You can go with Cynthia. If anything goes wrong she can handle you.”  
Cynthia frowned a little at the comment, not delighting in being stuck with one of Galactic’s goons but she didn’t argue- she knew what Barry said to be true.  
“Whatever pal,” 24 muttered dryly and got on Garchomp’s back instead.  
The portal began humming again as someone else began to come through. “Quickly, let’s go!” Shivu jumped behind Barry and they took off at full speed.  
“Where do we go?” asked Barry.  
“Head for Route 214, dude.” 24 replied, “It’s right next to Veilstone City, but the forests there are overgrown and hard to get through; it should slow Team Galactic down, bro.”  
Barry looked to Cynthia for confirmation. She nodded, “If Shivu trusts him then I trust him, Barry. There’s something that sets this one apart from the others...”  
“Yeah, I’m the only one with a brain!” 24 snorted.  
“To Route 214 then,” Barry said with a nod in return to Cynthia.  
24 was panting heavily from his chase earlier but he gazed around in wonder; he took in simple things like the street-lights that were fading away now, the starry night and the moon overheard and the smell of proper fresh air. Things he feared he’d never see again, at least not with a free mind.  
He almost felt overwhelmed with emotion but shook his head and tried to focus on what was happening here and now; there would be plenty of time to celebrate and relish in the power of free will when they were really out of Team Galactic’s reach.  
He looked behind him and almost fell off in shock when he realised they were still being pursued; behind the four were two Team Galactic members, one flying on a Staraptor the other on a Pidgeot. The Pokémon looked almost as blank as their Trainers did.  
Below them were two more- one on a Rapidash and the other on an Arcanine. The others must not have had the transport to give chase but these four were enough; given that neither Shivu nor 24 had anything Pokémon, they were already outnumbered.  
24 poked Cynthia’s shoulder, “Cynthia- it is Cynthia isn’t it?” Cynthia nodded. “Well, dude we’re being pursued.” 24 reported.  
Cynthia’s eyes widened and she followed his pointing finger behind them. She let out a frustrated snarl and turned to Barry, “Barry I need you to take 24 and Shivu and land somewhere safe. Stay hidden while I take on these grunts,”  
Barry turned in puzzlement to see what she meant and the shock was clear on his paling face as he saw the Team Galactic members. “Cynthia, you can’t...” he began.  
Cynthia cut him off, “I can and I will. Now go!”  
She deliberately commanded Garchomp to tilt to one side and 24 slid off with a bark of surprise. Now Barry had no choice but to go after him to prevent him falling to his death.  
“Are you insane?!” Cynthia heard 24 yell after her just as Barry caught him safely in the air.  
Cynthia wheeled around to face her oncoming enemies. “Use Hyper-Beam!” she roared. Garchomp did as she was told and unleashed the powerful attack. The beam flew out but the two Galactic members were clearly skilled fliers, at least in one point of their lives before joining Team Galactic, and easily moved to either side to avoid it.  
Cynthia growled and avoided the simultaneous attacks that followed the evasive manoeuvres.  
“Go Garchomp!” Cynthia went on, “Now use Dragon Rush!”

Garchomp flew up high into the air then carefully tipped downwards, her nose pointed towards the two members. A bright blue energy began to fire up around her as she charged up the attack before crashing straight through the two enemies, leaving damage to be reckoned with.  
The member on the Staraptor turned tail and flew haphazardly to the ground, defeated.  
Cynthia turned to the second one, her sharp grey eyes meeting her blank blue ones. Garchomp let out a snarl of anticipation and Cynthia took the first move, “Fire Blast!” she called.  
Garchomp immediately shot out the attack. As the member was distracted with that attack, she ordered Garchomp to twist around and use Brick Break, her final move against the Pidgeot Trainer.  
The member only just escaped unscathed from the Fire Blast attack but the Brick Break hit her and her Pokémon full on and they crashed to the ground, despite the move being weak against the Flying-Type bird Pokémon.  
“That’s that,” Cynthia patted her Garchomp fondly but just as she thought the battle was over a Flamethrower attack hit Garchomp hard from underneath.  
Garchomp roared in pain and was thrown into a tail spin. Panic shot through Cynthia but she forced herself to keep a level head. Gripping the saddle tightly she directed Garchomp toward the sky, “Pull up!” cried Cynthia, “Quickly, Garchomp!”  
Garchomp let out a pain-filled whimper and tried her best. Just as Cynthia was sure her life would end in a horrific crash-landing, something soared up underneath them, righted Garchomp by hitting her winged arm and stopped in front of them. Garchomp wheeled around to gain balance and altitude before halting, flapping in midair.  
“Barry!” gasped Cynthia, seeing the boy and the Dragonite, “I thought I told you to…”  
“You did but isn’t it a good job I don’t seem to have a habit of listening to adults?” Barry stuck out his tongue, “There are two more Galactic members on the ground, that’s where that Flamethrower was from. Come on, let’s take them out!”  
Cynthia let out a sigh of relief and looked to her Pokémon, “Can you do it?”  
Garchomp nodded, a grin spreading on her slightly burnt face. “Then let’s go,” Cynthia shared her Pokémon’s grin as they dived towards the other two members.

\----

Looker had woken up a little after he had been apprehended. His Croagunk was being carried by a Stuntank, the same one who had attacked him and his Pokémon friend, while Looker was being dragged down the halls by two strong-looking members.  
“Uh oh,” he thought in his head, “That didn’t go to plan.” In front of him was the burgundy-haired woman who had commanded the Stuntank. In her hand by her side he could see she had the book. Looker gritted his teeth in frustration; it was going to be tricky to get that back, not to mention escape.  
The woman seemed to feel his stare but as she turned Looker swiftly dropped his head and pretended to be unconscious again.  
The two members never even seemed to notice what Looker was doing and instead went about with their orders, dragging him up the stairs and to a large room where it seemed the Commanders had their living space when they weren’t working.  
Looker opened one hazel eye slightly as Jupiter stepped forward to a three-seater sofa where Saturn and Mars sat at either end.  
Charon was giving Saturn a shot of antidote; pale-faced and looking very ill it wasn’t hard to work out what had happened to the Commander, even without seeing the obvious bandage around his bare chest where Toxicroak had accidentally stabbed him.  
Toxicroak herself had been healed easily with a Hyper Potion but sat beside her Trainer occasionally casting an apologetic glance his way. Saturn didn’t fully blame his Pokémon but he was annoyed at 24 and Shivu for getting past him and, as he had been informed once he’d woken up, escaping.  
Mars was holding an ice-pack to her left eye which was bruised and swollen badly.  
“What on earth happened here?” Jupiter asked, curling her lip.  
“24 and Shivu happened,” Charon snorted, “Long story short; Saturn was poisoned and beaten up, Mars just got the latter.”  
Saturn and Mars looked up miserably at Jupiter but their eyes lit up with curiosity as they saw Jupiter had a prisoner.  
“Is that 24?” Saturn asked in a croaky voice, not being able to see Looker’s face past his turquoise wig which hung messily around his features.  
“No, this is the intruder that helped them both escape.” Jupiter replied, gesturing behind her, using the hand that held the book.  
Looker had narrowed his eyes to slits again to feign still being out, but he watched it carefully.  
“He’s unconscious,” Mars observed.  
Jupiter rolled her eyes, “Yes I can see that.”  
“Permission to speak English?” asked the member on Looker’s right in the Team Galactic language; he was still fairly new and hadn’t quite grasped the language yet.  
Jupiter nodded, “Permission granted.”  
“He is not unconscious.” the member said calmly, “He woke up earlier.”  
Looker visibly jumped at this comment and shut his eyes tightly. “Shoot.” he thought.  
Jupiter stalked over to him, “Well now, is that so?” she asked, bending down to get a better look at him. She took his chin in her hand and jerked his head upwards painfully. Looker yelped and was forced to open his eyes.  
Jupiter chuckled, “Trying to deceive us?” she tutted, “Shame on you,”  
The man laughed nervously, “Err… I was not feeling in the best of ways.” he lied, “This is why I didn’t wake up sooners.”  
Jupiter shook her head, “So who are you anyway, stranger?”  
Looker’s eyes widened slightly, but he kept up his charade, “Why I am being one of you, of coursing!”  
Saturn narrowed one eye suspiciously, “Oh is that so? What’s your number then?”  
The man blinked, “81-216… uhm… I am not remembering the rest. It’s a new landline,”  
“Not your phone number you idiot!” Saturn snapped, “Your number; the thing you get in place of your name!”  
“Oh!” the man said, “That is why everyone is referring to themselves like they are objects.”  
Saturn and Jupiter glared at him and the man tittered again, “Err… I am… 11!”  
“Really?” asked Jupiter, “Are you sure about that?”  
Looker didn’t answer- of course he wasn’t sure, he didn’t know what numbers had been used and which hadn’t. Jupiter walked all the way around the man, examining him. It was then that she noticed a bit of dark brown hair sticking out from underneath what she now realised was a wig, coloured to look like the hair of the Team Galactic members.  
“Well since #11 is actually a girl, I’d say you are…” Jupiter grabbed the wig and whipped it off, revealing short hair with a side fringe, “An imposter!”  
The man blinked in surprise then stammered, “I-I’m not an imposing! I just… Haven’t got my hair fixed yet! As you can surely be seeing, it’s too short a-and I didn’t want to look not like you fantastic people…”  
Jupiter sniggered, “Oh I see.” she drawled, “Well if you really want to be one of us, there’s only one way to do that…”  
The man gulped- the anxiety was now plain to see in his wide eyes.  
Jupiter grinned and waved her hand at the two grunts; “Take him to The Machine!” =

\----

Outside dawn was approaching in the forest that Cynthia and the others had entered earlier that night. The Team Galactic members had scarpered and not returned after they had realised the Champion was amongst the escapees’ ranks and after said Champion alongside Barry had beaten them badly.  
Barry and Shivu had wanted to go right back to the safety of Cynthia’s apartment but she insisted they wait in case Team Galactic returned and followed them.  
Instead Barry’s father’s Dragonite had helped them light a fire and they now sat around it as the sun began to melt its colours into the sky and the morning dew was beginning to form. 

 

 

24 and Shivu sat on a felled tree while Barry had chosen a rock as his seat and Cynthia had found a tree stump.  
“…So,” Shivu was saying, “that’s the whole story, start to finish.”  
Between Shivu and 24 their side of the story had now been relayed to Barry and Cynthia, with Shivu apologising many times for revealing Barry to Team Galactic and Barry had forgiven him just as often.  
“I see so that’s how Shivu ended up there.” Cynthia nodded, “And you 24, I’m sorry for all you had to go through.”  
“It isn’t your fault,” 24 shrugged.  
“But it is-I was the one who helped investigate Team Galactic… ” Cynthia looked at the forest floor, “if only I had known what was going on! I could have stopped Cyrus and…”  
“It isn’t your fault.” 24 repeated, this time firmly but kindly, “You couldn’t have known; even the police don’t know.”  
“Except for Looker,” Shivu put in, “and we still don’t know where he is.”  
“He might have escaped,” Barry said hopefully, “he wouldn’t have known to follow us here. He’s probably hiding out in town or something.”  
“I hope so.” replied Cynthia, “At least he doesn’t know where my apartment is; at least if Team Galactic force him to tell them where we are, he won’t know.” she paused and took a deep breath, “Horrible as that sounds.”  
“What’s more horrible is the fact that we haven’t done anything about it yet,” 24 hissed, scraping angrily at the bark on the log, “Team Galactic needs to be stopped; I’m sure the police aren’t going to believe this tall tale without Looker to back it up, so I guess it’s up to us alone.”  
“We’ll work on it,” Cynthia nodded, “but right now we need to head back to my place; it’s 5am and we’re not going to get anywhere without resting first.”  
24 sighed like he was a child being told to go to bed early, but suddenly he perked up, “There is one thing we forgot to mention,” he added looking at Shivu.  
“There is?” Shivu tipped his head in question.  
24 took out the files that Looker had given them earlier, “Looker gave us these.” he explained, “He told us they might help to find out what Team Galactic’s goal is.”  
Cynthia’s eyes widened and she accepted the files that 24 offered her, handling them like they were a delicate and ancient artefact that threatened to fall apart at any moment.  
“Oh Looker is very good,” she whispered in awe, her eyes flicked up, “if he’s right we’ll find out just what they’re up to and be able to stop them.”  
24 nodded eagerly, “Exactly!” He looked at the fire, his eyes reflecting the flickering flames, “We need to stop them,” 24 tipped his head towards the sky where the stars were just beginning to disappear as the sky lightened. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air. He opened them again and snarled with determination, “And through hell and high water, we will!”

\----

The sun had raised high in the sky later that day. Cynthia, Shivu and Barry were asleep but 24 had slept until his new bed on the sofa had become too uncomfortable. He sat up and stretched, running his fingers through his hair; naturally 24’s hair was curly but the constant straightening and dying had left it damaged and almost dead.  
This morning 24 noticed it was somewhat returned to its normal style, although he would have to grow the dye from his hair for some years before it was also healthy again.  
He thought about going back to sleep after his late night but he too awake now; if he slept on he’d likely end up with a headache and besides, he was used to staying up all night. Before his job at Team Galactic he spent many- maybe too many- times at a friend’s house where the nights were filled with partying and games.  
24 missed those days and now he was out of Team Galactic officially he felt he had missed a lot of his life thanks to them.  
He sighed as he stood up and walked to the kitchen; he supposed Cynthia wouldn’t mind if he had a quick meal. He flinched as a bruise on his arm caused him some pain but he realised he could have been injured much more severely; in fact 24 remembered a time before when he had tried to escape and had got sliced in the wrist by one of the member’s Pokémon. The blood loss he had sustained meant he had passed out soon after despite reaching the entrance and was easily brought back to Cyrus’ side.  
He looked at his wrinkled sleeve, forever reminded of his horrible mistake by the sewn-up tear there and the scar beneath.  
Just the week before 24 had heard a member had been slashed up badly by somebody’s two Sneasels when they had also tried to make a break for it.  
Shaking these dark thoughts from his mind, he made himself a quick breakfast and then decided to leave for a walk around outside. Cynthia had told him not to leave under any circumstances but 24 was getting bored and he didn’t want to wait for everyone else to wake up.  
24 did however leave a small note saying where he’d gone in case anyone got concerned. He found joyously that he had his wallet with him in his back pocket; regardless of his job qualities, it did pay quite well. Not that he was ever given the freedom to buy anything.  
24 decided the first thing he wanted to do was to buy new clothes so he didn’t have to spend another minute in his awful uniform. Thus he headed for the centre of town and looked around the shops. Nothing he saw immediately perked his interest but after leaving the 5th shop he decided that he shouldn’t be so picky.  
24 began to browse which shop was the cheapest from the outside but he didn’t notice he was being followed. A man peered around the corner of the wall and watched him carefully- beside him was a woman. “That is him.” the man hissed.  
“Have you got a positive identification?” the woman replied.  
The man turned to her and didn’t answer, as if he were confused by her question. “Are you sure it is him?” the woman changed her wording.  
“For definite sures.” the man nodded.  
The woman lifted out a communications device, “In that case I will tell the others.”  
They slipped away into a dark alley and 24 continued to move forward. 24 stopped suddenly as a shiver ran up his back. He looked around, wondering what had caused his strange feeling of being watched; no one seemed to be paying him much attention- except for the odd glance because of his strange clothes- but despite this 24 just knew something wasn’t right.  
24 forgot about his new clothes and decided quickly to go back to the apartment. He twisted around to face the direction of where the apartment was and began to pick up his pace. He lowered his head but kept a sharp look out for anything suspicious. All of a sudden he was stopped in his tracks because a woman had stepped out in front of him from one of the many side-streets.  
An electric sensation of fear shot through 24 as he realised it was one of the members of Team Galactic. “Hello 24,” she said blankly, “Cyrus has sent us to fetch you.”  
She had not even reached the end of her sentence when 24 ran away from her. He took a different route to Cynthia’s place but as he turned a corner into an alley that cut through two tall buildings he smashed straight into an obstacle.  
He hit the ground hard and scrambled away from the man who now stood before him; the same uniform he had come to despise was the first thing he laid eyes on.  
The man’s mouth twitched slightly with a smile and he said, “I’ve got you.”  
Something about his accent reminded 24 of someone but he had no time to think about it as the man jumped at him. 24 twisted out of his aim and stumbled back, but just then someone grabbed him around the arms.  
24 just got a flash of a member he knew was numbered 681 (Sebastian had been his old name) - a tall member with impressive strength. 681 tossed him downward and pinned him thrashing to the floor.  
From a command from the other member a truck was brought round and 24 was roughly thrown into the back.  
24 tumbled backwards along the floor. The door clunked as someone outside locked it and 24 quickly stood up, “Noo!” he cried. He pounded desperately on the door, “Let me out of here!” he screamed.  
“Now, now, no need to get so worked up...” said a voice behind him.  
24 felt the blood drain from his face as he spun around. Behind him, almost hidden in the heavy shadows within the dark back of the truck, was Saturn.  
24 barely got a chance to gasp before Saturn released his Toxicroak from its Poké Ball. A bright red flash filled the back of the truck and the Pokémon came charging towards 24.

24 felt the sharp spike on Toxicroak’s paw slam into his shoulder. He let out a choked bark as he felt the cold sensation of the poison make its way through his body.  
The poison took affect quickly thanks to his fast-pumping heart and he fell to his knees.  
“Not so nice to be poisoned, is it?” Saturn sneered.  
24 could only groan in response as he fell to all fours, clutching his bleeding wound.  
“Like I said,” Saturn said slowly with a small chuckle, “No one,” he leant down on one knee in front of 24, “no one escapes Team Galactic.”  
A look of dread filled 24’s eyes before they rolled into his head and he hit the floor of the truck with a thump.

\----

24 awoke not long after thanks to the administration of an antidote from Charon. He soon found himself bound by leather straps in a chair in Charon’s lab.  
“Oh no…” he croaked. His voice rose in volume as he glared at Charon, “No! You won’t keep me here; I’ll get out again! I’ll never stop trying until I’m free of Team Galactic forever!”  
Charon snorted, “Fine by me. You’re nothing but trouble anyway. But it’s not me who wants to keep you here; it’s Cyrus and the others. You’ll have to take it up with them.”  
“Who brought me here?!” demanded 24 tossing his head to look around the room, “There were other members, where are they? I’ll rip their freakin’ eyes out!”  
“102 and 681 went to do other work. But the other guy is here,” Charon gestured to 24’s right. 24 twisted around, his breathing ragged but when he saw who stood beside him, his mouth fell open with shock. Now in the brighter light, he recognised the man immediately.  
“Looker…?” he whispered in horror.  
“Yup, that’s what he calls himself.” Charon shrugged, “He’ll get a number soon enough. And he’s horrible at English and our language… I tell you, in my day you could rely on staff…”  
24 ignored Charon’s rambling- Looker was walking around freely and not paying them any attention.  
“Looker!” cried 24 again.  
He didn’t turn until Charon called his name.  
“Oh no, Looker please not you too...” 24 whimpered, shrinking back in the chair.  
“Yes, he’s under the power of The Machine before you ask.” Charon said, “He put up quite a fight for such an imbecile. I guess he must have some training, being a member of the International Police and all.”  
“Looker, I’m so sorry…” 24 said in a hushed voice. He swung his head around to Charon, “But we will escape.” he hissed angrily, gripping the arms of the chair angrily.  
“At least wait till Saturn comes back from giving his report.” Charon sighed, “He says he has a proposition for you.”  
“I’m not interested.” 24 spat, “Now let me out of here!” He tugged hard at his restraints.  
“You may be when you hear what he has to say.” Charon smirked, ignoring the rest of 24’s sentence, “I know it’s not your strong point but just be patient, boy.”  
Not having any other choice 24 waited. Saturn took his time in coming. By that time 24 had struggled against the straps holding him to the chair till he had exhausted himself, the affects of the poison still not completely worn off.  
He looked up as Saturn entered the room and bared his teeth, “Machine or not, I won’t be a slave to this dump of an organisation again!” 24 growled, his words broken up by his heavy breathing.  
“That is no longer my concern.” Saturn said calmly, narrowing his eyes, “I have more important things to do than to chase after you now we’re getting closer to our Ultimate Goal.”  
24 couldn’t help but tilt his head with inquisitiveness. “What do you mean?” he asked, his tense shoulders dropping slightly.  
“I want you to help us get the Lake Guardians.” Saturn began.  
24 bristled again and shouted, “No way! I don’t know why you want them, but there’s no way on this earth that I’ll help you again! Anyway how would I help you with that?”  
Despite himself, 24 was curious as to why Saturn would want his help in particular when he had proven time and time again that he couldn’t be trusted alone.  
“Very simple,” Saturn replied, “We need Barry,”  
“I don’t know why you need him,” 24 said, he paused and then lied, “but I don’t know where he is.”  
“Then you’d better find out and fast, otherwise I just might rethink your freedom.” Saturn spat.  
Charon had been listening to their conversation as he went about his work. He remembered how Shivu had reacted when he had threatened Barry; he had been a lot quicker to agree to Charon’s terms when his friend’s life was on the line.  
Charon stepped up behind Saturn and put a hand on his shoulder to silence whatever he was about to say. Charon gave him a look and Saturn allowed him to step forward to speak.  
“If you don’t comply,” Charon said darkly, “then we’ll kill that little Trainer you’ve gotten so friendly with.”  
The colour drained from 24’s face, “You wouldn’t hurt Shivu…” he pushed the worry from his mind, “Cyrus would never allow it!”  
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Charon grinned and his eyes darkened, “I didn’t stop with adults, 24; don’t think I’d hold back on a child.”  
24 felt his stomach drop and he closed his eyes. He guessed Charon’s warning was not an empty one.  
The two Commanders waited for his answer, although Saturn was giving Charon a funny look. 24 looked up slowly, “If I do this, do you promise not to hurt Shivu or Barry when you get him?”  
“Of course,” Saturn shrugged, looking away from Charon, “so long as you comply completely, we’re not going to hurt anyone.” Another quick glance at Charon.  
24’s throat felt tight and he almost couldn’t believe he spoke the next words that came from his mouth, “Alright. On that condition I’ll help you.”  
Saturn and Charon exchanged a pleased look. “Good.” Saturn said and he began to release the straps that held 24.  
24 didn’t eagerly leap up as he might have done a week prior. He sat still and muttered darkly, “Your plan will not succeed. How could bringing Barry possibly help you?”  
“I suppose you should know.” Saturn mused, “Palmer is the only person in this era that has ever befriended and gotten close to the Lake Guardians. Barry is Palmer’s son, so we believe that if the Lake Guardians see Barry in danger they’ll reawaken once more.”  
“We plan to bring Barry to Lake Valor,” Charon picked up where Saturn had stopped, “where we believe Azelf, the somewhat leader of the three, will come and awaken the other two as it does so.”  
24’s eyes were wide with amazement; he wasn’t so confident now that Team Galactic’s plan would fail.  
“So you are going to hurt him?” he questioned.  
Charon shook his head, knowing 24 would never agree if he thought Barry would be hurt either way. “We’ll make it look real.” he responded evasively.  
Saturn helped 24 stand since his legs were still shaky from the poison, “When you feel fit enough to walk,” Saturn said, “Go back to the Champion or wherever it is you’re staying and make sure she doesn’t notice anything suspicious.”  
24 nodded weakly, still not quite believing he was going to do as Saturn said.  
“You can bring Barry to Lake Valor on Saturday; that’s when our plan will commence.” Saturn went on, “That’s two days from now, understand?”  
“Yes… sir…” 24 replied. Even though he didn’t feel up to strength yet he still left the building. He couldn’t stand to be around his enemies any longer- he felt even sicker from the way he seemed to be becoming one of them even without mind control.  
“You’re doing this for Shivu,” he reminded himself in his mind, “And Barry will understand in time why I did this…” He kept repeating this in the hope that it would raise his spirit as he left Team Galactic’s premises.

\----

After 24 left, Saturn turned to Charon, “You didn’t really mean that did you, about killing anyone?”  
Charon looked up at the younger man, his eyebrows rising slightly. Saturn was oh-so devoted to Cyrus, he thought, and anything his leader thought of as wrong Saturn would surely think the same without ever once asking why.  
Therefore, Charon shook his head, “Of course not, Saturn. It was merely a lie spun to get 24 to do what we wanted… Nothing more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONGEST. CHAPTER. EVER. No really; normally my chapters are 3-4 pages at most, this one was 11! Well, 11 on Word Document anyway (and that WAS including pictures, but still)
> 
> I feel I should mention at this point something about Looker; when he's speaking in his mind he's speaking in his native tongue unless I say otherwise.
> 
> Team Trivia!
> 
> *The only additional thing which wasn't in the initial planning was the part where the four Team Galactic members pursue Cynthia and co.- they were just supposed to run through the city and to the forest and then wait there until dawn for the heat to die down but two problems arose with that; if no one was chasing them, why would you wait? And also I felt it was too easy for the characters to get away if they weren't chased for a while.  
> In case it wasn't blatantly obvious enough I'm trying to establish how bloody difficult it is to get away from Team Galactic; hence no one has managed it before
> 
> -This wasn't the only thing to be changed, in the revised version (which is this version on A03 if you're curious), in which I also added the short scene at the end with Charon and Saturn
> 
> *We finally find out where 24's tear came from! Idk if anyone was wondering but now you know!
> 
> -24's hair is actually also naturally curly; if anyone is wondering now which character 24 is in Counting Stars, this is a major clue!
> 
> *A few things about 681 (Sebastian); this is a character who's set to appear in Counting Stars although he hasn't just yet. This shouldn't come as a surprise to those who have seen the art of him and two other characters named Mel and Scarlett as Sebastian is very open about his previous membership in Team Galactic; in fact he even admits that he misses it! Strange guy, but nice enough once you get to know him.
> 
> -I also think it's odd myself for those who notice how we went from "8, 11, 24" etc to "SUDDENLY 600+!" This was kind of always the intention but I have a list on Word for members and their names up until 30, after that I have nothing but I did want to get Sebastian in there x3 I imagine there are maybe 1000+ members? As much as that sounds that was the amount of pupils in my school; to look at it you wouldn't believe it (it wasn't exactly a huge school) but apparently that was the number!  
> I also found out recently people who attended a local convention were counted to be over 3000- again you wouldn't have noticed but you get the idea; seems like less, is actually more xD
> 
> *In a previous draft of this story 24's situation towards the end of the Chapter was actually Shivu's problem. In fact, it took place right after Shivu comes around from the knock on the head; after that Shivu was meant to run away following Barry but the three Commanders catch up to him more or less straight after and recapture him then threaten him to bring back Barry.  
> I scrapped the idea because I felt Shivu had enough going on; I like to spread the story out amongst the characters to keep them all interesting and important (as much as I love Kung Fu Panda, they're a fine example of how letting the main characters take the spotlight can leave the lesser characters undeveloped) so therefore I changed it to 24- it would also give an interesting development later in the story!


	15. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which-- err, plans are made I guess? And we get a montage~!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAAA I hoped to get this up waaaay sooner but I've had a lot of stuff going on XD  
> I want to start volunteering at this new places that's opened up so I was up in their headquarters on yesterday enjoying the seaside town where it's situated- since it's an hour's train ride from my home to there, I got a chance to finally sit down and finish the illustration for this chapter ^w^  
> I need to get a laptop and maybe a handheld scanner (those still exist right?) then I could work more while travelling :D
> 
> Oh well, without any further fuss- let's go!

24 entered Cynthia’s flat a little later that same day. He had walked around the town for a while, trying to get the haunted look to fade from his face.  
His plan must have worked for when he came back nobody seemed to notice how horrible he felt inside.  
Shivu was the first to notice he was back. “24!” Shivu jumped up from the sofa in delight and even Barry, who sat next to Shivu, gave him a smile, obviously coming around to him.  
Shivu frowned when he realised 24 was not carrying anything. “I thought you went out to buy new clothes or something?” he asked.  
24 mentally kicked himself; lost in his thoughts he had completely forgotten to lift some form of new attire to cover his story. Instead he just shrugged, putting on a voice that sounded more carefree than he felt, “I didn’t see anything I liked, little dude.”  
Cynthia peered out from the kitchen. “24!” she scolded, “I told you not to leave the apartment.”  
“Sorry.” 24 mumbled half-heartedly. He sat down on the sofa and said no more.  
Cynthia’s frown softened slightly and she sat on the arm of the settee next to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.  
“Just tired,” 24 replied evasively.  
Cynthia watched him for a moment before nodding, “Okay. If there’s anything you want to talk about, you know we’re right here for you.”  
24 nodded but didn’t meet her eye.  
Cynthia continued talking as Shivu plopped himself between 24 and Barry; “I’m glad you’re back; I have some news.”  
“Oh?” 24 seemed more preoccupied with picking at the threads from the tear in his sleeve.  
Cynthia leaned over to the coffee table in front of them and picked up a wad of papers. “I think I understand Team Galactic’s plan from these notes Looker gave you and Shivu,” Cynthia went on, running her hand over the files.  
“You mean you know what they’re planning?” Shivu piped up.  
Barry peered over his friend’s shoulder, “That means we can stop them!”  
Cynthia nodded, “Come with me and I’ll explain.”  
She brought them into the kitchen and placed the notes in the centre of the round dining table. 24, Shivu and Barry sat on one side and Cynthia on the other. She opened them on the first page and gestured to a tribal drawing of three fairy-like Pokémon. One was blue, the other a pale red and the final one yellow; all had long grey tails and each had a red mark on the centre of their foreheads.  
“These are the Lake Guardians,” Cynthia explained.  
Barry looked up, “You told me about them.” he said.  
“That’s right,” Cynthia nodded, “Shivu and 24 don’t know this story yet but these are three legends that are said to guard the lakes.” she pointed to the red Guardian, “This is Mespirit,” she moved her finger to the blue one, “Azelf,” next she gestured to the yellow Pokémon, “And this is Uxie. Respectively, they represent emotion, willpower and knowledge…”  
The Champion went on to explain about Barry’s dad and the friendship he held with the Guardians.  
24 tried to act surprised; he already knew this information- after all Saturn had just told him.  
When she had finished Shivu stood looked at the painting and asked, “What are these red marks on their heads?”  
Cynthia looked at each of them. “Those are very important.” she explained, “Each Guardian has a crystal that holds their power; Team Galactic plans to remove that power and use it to create a device known as a Red Chain.”  
“A Red Chain?” wondered Barry, tipping his head.  
Cynthia nodded, “Team Galactic aim to control the two gods of time and space with this Red Chain; Dialga and Palkia.”  
“But surely the power of the Guardians isn’t enough to do that?” Shivu shook his head, “Surely it’s impossible?”  
“I’m afraid it’s very much possible.” Cynthia replied darkly. Shivu and Barry exchanged a terrified glance. “And that’s not all; it gets worse.” Cynthia took a deep breath, “With this power they plan to travel atop Mount Coronet, to the summit which is known as Spear Pillar- this is where legend says Dialga and Palkia were created. There they plan to literally create a brand new world.”  
Barry’s mouth dropped open and 24 looked away, clenching his hands on the table edge. Shivu looked surprised too but he frowned, “That is strange… but surely not so bad?” he shrugged, “I mean it’s very surprising and it’s going to cause a lot of turmoil but what’s so wrong with having two worlds? It’s not life-threatening.”  
“I’m afraid it’s a little more complicated than that Shivu,” Cynthia turned the pages of the file until she came to another picture- this one depicted two spheres, one was grey, the other a blue and green, likely representing earth. Below it was another picture in which earth was gone and in its place was the grey sphere.  
“Cyrus intends to destroy this world first then rebuild his one in its place. The new world will not have the three things the Guardians represent; willpower, knowledge and emotion.”  
“The three things Team Galactic lack now,” 24 finished.  
Cynthia nodded, “24’s right; this new world Cyrus intends to create will literally be a bigger version of Team Galactic. Everyone will be like the members there.”  
Shivu visibly paled and he quickly sat down, “We can’t let them do that…” he whispered.  
Barry put his arm around his friend’s shoulders, “We won’t. We’ll stop them; storm the base and stop their plans for good!”  
Cynthia shook her head, “No we can’t do that; since Shivu and 24 escaped they’ll be expecting them both to come back looking for trouble, I’d imagine. And bear in mind there are four of us and far too many of them.”  
“We barely escaped last time.” Shivu agreed.  
Cynthia stood and paced the kitchen, “We need to stop them on the day they try and reawaken the Guardians; that’s the main point in their plan. After all, if there’s no Lake Guardians there’s no Red Chain and no way to control Dialga and Palkia.”  
Shivu nodded in agreement, “You’re right; but what day do they plan to capture Azelf, Mespirit and Uxie?”  
“Saturday,” said 24 suddenly.  
Cynthia turned to him, “How do you know that?”  
24 winced, quickly covering his tracks by saying, “Well I worked there, didn’t I? I remember Team Galactic talking about it before; but I was still under The Machine’s control then and it’s hard to remember things from that state.” he looked over to Shivu for support, “Right Shivu?”  
Shivu nodded, “He’s right; it’s like a dream or something.”  
“Or a nightmare,” Barry added sourly.  
Cynthia gave 24 a nod of gratitude, “I hope you’ve remembered correctly; but I trust you. Saturday it is then.”  
“Oh Cynthia, please don’t trust me…” 24 thought sadly in his mind, “I’m not even sure if I trust myself anymore…”

\----

Over the next two days, Cynthia devised a plan to halt Team Galactic in their tracks. She explained to the three others that Shivu and 24 would travel to Lake Valor where they would try and prevent the capturing of the Lake Guardians.  
Since Shivu had no Pokémon yet and 24’s were still in Team Galactic’s possession, Cynthia offered them the assistance of her Milotic- a majestic water dragon.  
She also decided that she and Barry would travel to Mount Coronet to destroy any equipment that Team Galactic may have set up there.  
24 tried not to seem too desperate as he suggested he take Barry instead. When Cynthia asked him why this was, 24 already had an answer prepared.  
He explained that Team Galactic would instantly recognise Shivu, but may not be so quick as to know Barry. It would be easy to pretend 24 was any old member, as they all looked the same anyway, and to act out that he had caught Barry as a prisoner.  
He went on to add that if he took Barry, they would have his Dragonite, meaning Cynthia could have use of her full team.  
24 tried to keep the nervous edge from his voice but Cynthia didn’t seem to notice anyway. She agreed 24’s modification to her idea was a good one, and they began to make further preparations with the new arrangement in mind.  
Meanwhile, Team Galactic were making plans of their own.  
Charon studied the three Lake Guardians relentlessly and surmised a special holding device would be the best bet to capture them in. The Lake Guardians were all Psychic-Types so Charon began to work on a device that would produce power similar to that of a Dark and Ghost-Type Pokémon, therefore hitting them right where it hurt.  
When the prototype devices were made, he would test them on the Psychic-Types Pokémon brought in with the trucks- ones he had specifically requested to be brought in longer ago for testing.  
He also looked into his ulterior plans and began working on that as well. Even poor Looker was forced to help; now under the power of The Machine he was given a job in Charon’s Lab and worked under his new and secret leader.  
Saturn had upped the security on the Galactic Veilstone Building- Cynthia had guessed correctly when she had said Team Galactic would be expecting an attack from Shivu and 24 and thus had taken measures to prevent such.  
Jupiter and Mars focused on training the newer recruits so they would be prepared when the Team’s plan finally came around. Mars mostly stuck with language while Jupiter taught the members to fight and defend themselves.  
All the while, Cyrus watched over the work of his members; if he used emotions at all he would have said he was almost pleased with their work. They had the book, the information needed to capture the Lake Guardians and although 24 and Shivu had gotten away any trouble they caused could be easily handled by Team Galactic.  
On a balcony that connected to Cyrus’ private quarters, Team Galactic’s leader stood in the pale moonlight, overlooking the grounds to the base and the city beyond.  
Cyrus exhaled, puffing out a cloud of icy breath and smiled a cold, half-grin. “Everything is going according to plan…” he purred, “Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh so Team Galactic's plan is moving forward! But our four rebels are making plans of their own! Poor Looker; a small reminder from the last chapter that he's still around XD
> 
> Tsk tsk, it's time for Trivia!
> 
> *The only major difference in this Chapter was that during our montage of both the rebels' and Team Galactic's plans moving forward, Shivu was in the midst of it. Remember how I said in the last chapter 24's role was originally Shivu's? In the initial draft Shivu was made to keep Barry busy from finding out Team Galactic's real plan, so Shivu lead him to all sorts of places in Sinnoh claiming to have found clues there. Of course, Barry never suspects his friend.
> 
> -I scrapped this idea in favor of the new plot, but don't worry Barry will still get an important role later!
> 
> *24's linguistics are hard to work with sometimes; I mentioned before when he's under Team Galactic's control he speaks very professional, whereas when he's free of them he uses slang and a lot of "dudes" and "bros"; in this Chapter I wasn't sure to use his professional way of talking to symbolify the way he was following Team Galactic (whether against his will or otherwise) or just to go with his usual speak to remind people he wasn't actually under their control, as such *shrug* what do you guys think?
> 
> *I've been trying to read some more Team Galactic fanfics to get a good idea of how the fans write him (this really helped me when writing both my Black and White comic and a small X and Y fanfic I wrote a while back) and I found a pretty good one called "E-Anon (Evil Anonymous)" by IcyKali on Fanfiction.net- it's a really good story actually, but does hint at shipping between Giovanni and Cyrus- if you don't mind that then I recommend you check it out!


	16. Cyrus' Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we DROP THAT BOMB *headbangs*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK TOO LONG APOLOGIES  
> I've found me and another fanfic I'm actually reading tend to update at the same time (but they don't have to ILLUSTRATE) which is amusing XD  
> If you like Sun and Moon, go check out Beasts and Beauties by dietofwurms :D They (alongside CherryJacks, who you should also check out!) are big inspirations of mine ^w^

On Friday night, 24 could hardly sleep; when he did his dreams were filled with horrible visions of the following day.  
Early in the morning, he gave up trying to rest and went out to the balcony and watched the sun slowly rise into the sky.  
After a time, he heard movement behind him and turned to find Cynthia. “We should be leaving soon,” she said with an unusual serious edge to her voice, “since we don’t know what time Team Galactic is going to execute their plans.”  
24 felt his stomach clench. “O-okay,” he stammered. When Cynthia left to wake Shivu and Barry, 24 drew a hand through his hair and sighed, suddenly feeling almost ill.  
He looked out at the orange sky as the sun’s beams stretched across the wispy clouds and sighed. Any other time he would have found the morning beautiful, but today he could only think that the blood-red sky was some sort of bad omen.  
When Cynthia called to him to hop on Barry’s Dragonite, 24 did so. He sat up front where he could guide Dragonite to Lake Valor.  
Cynthia and Shivu took off after, heading for Spear Pillar which was in the opposite direction.  
Soon the sun was high in the sky and 24 could see Lake Valor in the distance. He could not see any of Team Galactic, but he knew they must be there by now. He also knew Barry could not see them until the time was right, so he quickly found a solution.  
He took a deep breath, tried to look brighter than he felt and turned to Barry, “We should land; they may have look-outs waiting for someone to interfere by air, especially after Cynthia proved she’s a formidable aerial battler.”  
Barry nodded his conformity and they landed before heading for the lake on foot. 24 encouraged Barry to return Dragonite, since the dragon Pokémon was neither light on its feet nor camouflaged in the forest.  
Once again, Barry obliged and 24 felt a pang of deep regret since the boy had obviously decided to trust his decisions.  
They approached the edge of the lake and looked around. 24 could only hear the soft lapping of water against the shore; the wind was still as if the forest around them was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come.  
“There’s no one here…” Barry whispered.  
24 gave a curt nod, “It… seems that way.” 24 glanced behind him and saw a shadow moving through the trees. _“Yes,”_ he thought, looking back at the water, _“but it only seems.”_  
A crunch of dry mud behind them made them both turn. Saturn stood behind them, his eyes sparking with evil delight.  
“Well, well, well,” he purred, “you decided to come after all?”  
24 nodded solemnly but Barry immediately reached for the Poké Ball that contained Dragonite. 24 gritted his teeth and carefully reached out and took Barry’s hand, pushing it down again and shaking his head, telling him not to go for his Pokémon.  
Barry gave him a puzzled look, “24, we have to fight them!” he protested.  
24 tightened his grip when Barry tried to pull away and once again shook his head. “No,” 24 said, his voice shaking.  
Saturn glanced behind him and jerked his head, indicating to two members of Team Galactic who were deep in the shadows behind the trees to come forward towards Barry.  
Barry began to tug hard to get away now, pushing frantically at 24’s hand. “24 what are you doing?” he cried, “Let go of me!”  
24 shut his eyes tightly and didn’t reply. The two members reached them and each took one of Barry’s arms, holding him much more forcefully than 24 had done.  
Barry was distraught, kicking his feet into the ground as the two grunts led him back towards Saturn. “I trusted you 24!” Barry screamed, “All along, you lied to us; you were always one of them!”  
24 winced, “No,” he began, “Barry you don’t understand…!”  
“Be quiet, boy,” Saturn hissed to 24, “he understands all he needs to know.”  
24 glared at Saturn, “If you’re going to make me do this, you can at least let me explain why!” he snapped.  
“You’ll hold your tongue or our deal is off,” Saturn growled back. He turned to the two members, “This way,” he commanded.  
Saturn let them a little way around the edge of the lake till they reached a strip of land that extended out into the water, creating a natural dock.  
Saturn walked out first, with the two members dragging Barry behind him. 24 stood back as more members crept out from around him, ready to watch the beginning of the creation of Team Galactic’s world.  
Saturn took Barry and held the boy ahead of him by the scruff. “Azelf!” he called out to the lake, “Here I have the son of the only human you ever befriended! Show yourself or…” Saturn kicked Barry’s legs out from underneath him and pushed his head towards the water, leaning down on one knee beside the boy, “He drowns!”  
24 silently prayed to every Pokémon deity he knew of that Azelf would not appear; that perhaps the legends were wrong and the Lake Guardians did not even exist, that maybe Saturn would call everything off and leave Barry alone.  
As Saturn’s words echoed away, he dared to believe his wishes had been granted until a small ripple appeared in the centre of the lake and reached out to the shore.  
24 could detect the faintest of sounds; a light ringing that came from somewhere beyond where they were all standing.  
He could tell when Saturn tipped his head that the Commander had also heard it. Barry was watching the centre and cried, “No Azelf! Don’t listen to him!”

 

Saturn glared down at him and snarled, “Quiet!”  
From where the ripple had begun, the water began to swirl, getting more and more violent until it almost became a typhoon.  
The water exploded into the air before being thrown back down again with a mighty crash and in its centre Azelf, the guardian of Valor, hovered in the air.  
24 stared in awe as the Pokémon scanned the area with sharp amber stare. Saturn’s eyes lit up, “Yes!” he barked with joy, “Ha! Cyrus _will_ be proud of me when I catch Azelf!”  
Azelf locked eyes with Saturn and let out an angry screech. 24 had to cover his ears, the call was so loud. Saturn did not seem fazed however, “You’re so angry, Azelf? You want to save your friend’s son?” purposefully he gave Barry a rough shove to make the Pokémon’s rage stronger, “Then come and battle us!”  
Saturn shoved Barry’s head under the water and held him there as the boy struggled to hold his breath beneath the surface. Azelf screeched again.  
Saturn let Barry go only when he had begun to go limp- the Commander stood with an almost ecstatic grin on his face, “Yes, come and fight Team Galactic and bow before your new masters!”  
Azelf flew high into the sky before charging down again with amazing speed that 24 had never witnessed in any other Pokémon before.  
Azelf aimed a powerful Psychic attack right at Saturn but Saturn was protected by some of the member’s Crobats.  
Saturn threw out his own Pokémon, Toxicroak, and ordered it to use a Poison attack. Azelf nimbly dodged the attack and managed to land a Psychic-powered blow on the vulnerable Poison-Type.  
24 knew Toxicroak was too powerful to be bothered much even by a Super-Effective move like Azelf used, and winced when it landed a powerful Cross Poison attack on Azelf.  
Azelf flinched and 24 knew it had been poisoned badly by the move, weakening it considerably.  
Now it had slowed down, more of the members were attacking with their Pokémon; a Crobat flew past and used Air-Slash, a Houndour blasted a Flamethrower and a Haunter used a Super-Effective Shadow Ball.  
Azelf still held strong and was still trying to aim attacks only at Saturn, as he was the one with Barry.  
A Thunder attack hit Azelf hard and 24 turned to his left to see a member with a Raichu. Once she had used that attack she returned her Pokémon and instead threw out a Mismagius.  
24’s eyes widened when he realised the powerful Ghost-Type would have a huge advantage over Azelf, legendary Pokémon or otherwise.  
24 quickly tried to intervene but the member ordered her Pokémon to use Shadow Force and Mismagius disappeared from sight.  
24 could hardly watch as the Pokémon reappeared again a moment later and unleashed its attack right on Azelf, who never even saw it coming.  
Azelf let out a cry of agony as Shadow Force ripped through it and when the attack faded the Pokémon fell to the ground. Saturn roughly shoved Barry behind him and threw forward a clear spherical item; the device Charon had created to catch the Lake Guardian.  
Azelf’s eyes opened slightly and it made one last decision to try and stop the evil people before it. It knew that without one of the guardians, the rest were rendered useless and thus decided that it would use an ultimate attack on itself.  
Azelf screamed in pain as it charged up the last of its energy, a bright light glowing around it and launching into the sky just before Charon’s device made contact with it.  
“No!” cried Barry as Azelf disappeared in a ray of coloured light, as if into a Poké Ball. Charon’s device did not give the Pokémon a chance to escape, unlike a regular Poké Ball which would shake before indicating the capture had been completed. Instead, there was no sound as the device hovered back to Saturn’s hand.  
Saturn chuckled and was about to announce his victory when the attack that Azelf had launched returned. Saturn only just managed to cry, “Future Sight!”- The name of the attack, before it hit in all its destructive glory.  
Azelf had aimed the attack on where it had been before disappearing but now the attack fell on Saturn and Barry first, before sweeping towards the other members and 24. There was a blast of white light and a deafening explosion before 24’s world went black.

\-----

On the summit of Mount Coronet Shivu and Cynthia had been unable to find any equipment from Team Galactic.  
Shivu had strayed away from Cynthia to look out over the edge of the mountain, curious to see if he could really ‘see his house from here’ as people always said on television.  
Cynthia allowed him to do so and decided to do a final search before heading home; if they did not find anything- providing 24 and Barry had been successful- then they thankfully never would.  
Suddenly Cynthia heard Shivu cry out.  
“Shivu?” she called and quickly ran to where he had headed off to.  
Cynthia nearly crashed into Shivu when she was rounding a huge boulder and she could see Shivu’s eyes were wide with panic.  
“Run!” he squeaked, “it’s…”  
“Why, hello Champion.” said a deep voice. Shivu whipped around and whimpered and Cynthia tensed when she saw who had followed Shivu; Cyrus.  
Shivu dived behind Cynthia, who protectively put out her arm- shielding the boy from Team Galactic’s leader.  
Cyrus gave a respectful nod to Cynthia, “Pardon me, I’m sure you don’t know who I am…” Cyrus began.  
“I know who you are,” Cynthia interrupted, “What are you doing here?”  
Cyrus looked mildly annoyed at having been cut off. “If you know who I am, then you should also know my organisation. I came here to survey where my Team will rebuild the world. The Team,” he pointedly looked at Shivu, “you were once a part of, dear child.”  
Shivu trembled and drew back towards Cynthia in fright.  
“Why did you run away?” Cyrus asked, taking a step forwards.

 

“Leave him alone,” Cynthia growled.  
“I am only asking him a question,” Cyrus said, seemingly confused by her hostile reaction. He stared down at Shivu, “Well, little one?”  
Shivu shook with fear but he spoke up before Cynthia could protest again. “I couldn’t stay in a place like that.” he whimpered, “Where people are controlled against their wills and made to live like machines…”  
Cyrus’ brow creased slightly at his reply. “My people are content like that. Were you not content?”  
Shivu shook his head, “Cyrus, you can’t hear what the members’ say in their minds. Under The Machine’s power we’re still aware; we still know what’s going on and we’re anything _but_ happy about it.”  
Cyrus blinked then shook his head, “They are content.” he insisted. “When Team Galactic controls the legendary Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia, I will make _everyone_ content.”  
“That kind of goal is beyond any person’s control, Cyrus,” Cynthia warned, “I beg of you stop now before it’s too late to turn back.”  
“You say you know me, but that is obviously untrue.” Cyrus replied, “For I am no mere person, I am soon to be a god.”  
“Even a god knows when to let things take their course. You plan to control everyone, while a god lets us choose our own path,” Cynthia hissed.  
“And what does choice bring?” Cyrus stared hard at Cynthia, “It brings pain and loss. Have you never made a decision you regretted later?”  
Cynthia bristled at his words, but did not reply.  
“And with my power I shall ensure nothing is outside of my control. For it is lack of control that induces sadness as well,” he looked at both Cynthia and Shivu in turn, “have you never experienced the death of a loved one? Death is outside of our control now, but in Team Galactic’s world, _my_ world, there shall be no death.” Shivu noticed Cyrus clenched his jaw slightly, “There shall be no pain.”  
Shivu glanced up at Cynthia who had hung her head slightly at Cyrus’ words. Cyrus stood for a moment longer before he gave a nod of farewell and turned on his heel; he threw a Honchkrow from its Poké Ball and mounted its back before flying off.  
Shivu pulled away from Cynthia when he disappeared and looked over the edge after him. He turned to Cynthia, “You’ve had someone you loved die, haven’t you?”  
Cynthia sighed, “Haven’t we all?” she said quietly, “But my grandmother always said,” she looked up at the sky and determination shone in her eyes, “that death was natural. It is a terrible thing to lose someone, Cyrus is right about that, but…” she trailed off.  
“You have to live on?” Shivu tried, “Forget?”  
Cynthia shook her head, “No. Never forget; that’s what my grandmother said. Lest you never forget the times, happy and sad, they’re never really gone. They live on in your memory.”  
Shivu’s eyes widened with awe and he nodded before looking out across Sinnoh again. Suddenly he jolted and leant forward, “Oh no…” he whispered, his face falling in dismay.  
Cynthia looked at him in surprise before following his gaze. From the direction of Lake Valor, she could see a thick column of black smoke rising.  
“Barry and 24!” cried Shivu.  
Cynthia wasted no time in throwing out Garchomp and the two raced to the aid of their friends, unsure what horrors awaited them when they arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trains, tracks and trivia?
> 
> * The very last part of the chapter was originally supposed to be the start of the next chapter; Cyrus was just meant to wander off and the chapter would end. But what fun is it to end without a cliff hanger? :D
> 
> -There was also a running gag that first was given to Mars and later to Cyrus where Cyrus would just nonchalantly jump off high ledges all the time XD Consequently nearly giving Saturn a heart attack- of course Cyrus would only do this when Honchkrow was waiting below, out of sight lol  
> Why he did this, I never thought of an explanation for but it would have been funny to use! It was based on Mars doing a similar thing once in the Mangas 
> 
> * In the games and pretty much every other media type, Cynthia's grandmother is alive and well but in my version of the story she's dead. Whether this is the grandmother seen in other versions or Cynthia's grandmother on her family's other side is up to you, but to me it's likely the one we all know and (maybe?) love.
> 
> -By the way, that seemingly random insert of a life lesson of death is not so random; it'll come in important later on! I hope it wasn't too cheesy xP


	17. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I STUDY THE LION KING 2 FOR LIKE 5 HOURS TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY DREW THE SMOKE IN THAT SCENE WITH KOVU AND SIMBA which ironically features something similar to how this chapter goes >:3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a lot of edits in this chapter to try and get a feel of the atmosphere and the character's feelings- still not sure I quuiiitte suceeded and I'm sure a lot of edits will follow in the future XD What took me the most time, though, was the art- as I said in the Chapter Summary it was hard to draw smoke and took me a few goes to get a hang of it xP  
> Surprisingly the second drawing was the easiest! Discuss that more in the end notes

They arrived to find the forest in cinders. Some flames still remained and all the trees were burnt black, their leaves scorched completely off. Shivu and Cynthia could only see so far in front of them- the horizon was lost to the haze of thick, yellowish smoke which seemed to close in around them and as they walked plumes of hot ash clouded around their feet.  
No sound could be heard; all the Pokémon had fled and now all that was left was a dead silence.  
Shivu gulped- he felt more like he was walking in a nuclear bomb site and not what should have been a peaceful forest, thriving well in the early summer sun.  
Cynthia warned Shivu to stay close as they began to look for Barry and 24. She sent out her Milotic and ordered it to drown out the last bits of fire as they walked the charred earth, dead branches crunching under their feet.  
The smoke began to affect Shivu's throat and he knew he should go before he suffered worse affects but he wasn't ready to leave yet. "24!" he called. Only a dull echo came back to him.  
Shivu swallowed, trying to moisten his parched throat. "Barry!" he tried, "Where are you?" 

He walked away from Cynthia when something caught his eye; beneath some blackened branches a swathe of yellow could be seen.  
Shivu narrowed his eyes and crept closer. He gasped when he realised that it was Barry beneath the wreckage.  
"Barry!" he cried, jumping forward and immediately throwing the debris off him. Barry coughed and looked up weakly, "Shivu..." he croaked.  
Shivu winced; his face and arms were burnt badly and his clothes were dirty with soot and torched soil.  
"It's okay, Barry- we're gonna get you out of here." Shivu lifted his friend's head out of the ashy ground and placed him on his knees. Shivu looked around and realised he'd lost Cynthia in the wall of smoke; Barry would need help and transportation to get back to the city but he still needed to find 24.  
"24!" he howled, "24, can you hear me?"  
"No, don't..." Barry shuffled himself into an upright position, "24, he..." However Barry didn't finish his sentence as he fell into a bout of coughing.  
Shivu barely listened to his words; he was still looking around distractedly for 24. "Try not to talk," he said, "You’re hurt..."  
Barry groaned and his head nodded forward as he began to lose consciousness again.  
Suddenly Shivu noticed something through the smoke. It was a person; since they lacked a huge water dragon by their side, Shivu knew it wasn't Cynthia.  
"24!" he called again. He stood and carefully propped Barry up against a fallen log then walked over.  
The shape turned their head towards him but then they backed off and disappeared into the smog. "24?" Shivu took a step towards where the person had been and looked around.  
Behind him two blue eyes appeared through the fog, followed by a familiar silhouette.  
Shivu heard the crack of burning wood and turned. His heart almost stopped when he saw Saturn standing tall behind him. The Commander’s uniform was torn and he had a nightmarish burn covering half of his face, giving him a monstrous appearance to the young boy.  
Saturn beamed down at Shivu and despite his condition his voice still contained all the confidence and emotionless picked up from Cyrus; "Hello again, my little friend."  
Shivu couldn't speak; he only managed a small whimper in response as he scrambled away.  
"You were a _very_ naughty boy to run away before," Saturn went on, narrowing his blood-shot eye on his injured side. He put out his hand and Shivu jerked away from it. "Why don't you come back with me now?" Saturn purred.  
"No!" Shivu barked, "I would never come back!"  
A little farther off 24 had already come around after being thrown unconscious. He heard Shivu's voice and pricked his ears before following his voice through the wall of yellow-grey that was before him.  
Back with Shivu, Saturn chuckled, "Shivu, Shivu," he tutted, "you _will_ be coming back with us, one way or another."  
Behind Shivu a Bronzor suddenly appeared from behind a tree. It shot out a Gyro Ball attack at Shivu. Shivu only just turned in time before being hit hard and thrown back to the ground.  
He was unconscious before he even reached the ash-covered earth.  
Just as Saturn was about pick Shivu up and bring him back to the helicopter that he knew would be hovering close by that would take them back to base, Cynthia arrived and had Garchomp aim a Hyper Beam attack at the Galactic Commander.  
Saturn jumped back in surprise but when he looked at Cynthia his expression remained cool.  
"That was a warning," Cynthia growled, "try and touch either of them again and I'll take off your arm."  
Saturn looked like he was about to respond but 24 arrived at that moment. He skidded in between Saturn and Shivu and got into a fighting stance, ignoring the burns on his body which stung painfully as he moved.  
"You've got what you wanted." 24 hissed, "Now get out of here and leave me and my friends alone!"  
Saturn grinned slyly and snorted, " _Friends_ you say?" he sneered, prowling towards 24, "A true friend wouldn't help the enemy..." he chuckled darkly, "Like _you_ did."  
24's face fell but he didn't reply.  
Cynthia blinked and turned towards 24. "24 what does he mean?" she demanded.  
Saturn looked back at 24 and laughed at 24's horrified expression. "Well go ahead, 24. Tell your 'friends' what you've done!"  
24 stammered but couldn't find the right words. Saturn spat angrily when he refused to speak and thus spoke for him.  
"Your dear friend 24 brought Barry to us," Saturn stood tall and loomed over 24 who had hung his head in shame, "so we could summon the Lake Guardians."  
Cynthia's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at 24. 24 met her gaze and saw the sparks of distrust beginning to show in her face.  
24 felt like a black hole was eating at his insides, "No Cynthia, I didn't--! I was just...!"  
Saturn let out a loud hiss, silencing 24. "Did you not purposefully help Team Galactic?" he asked.  
24's mouth opened and closed but again he couldn't seem to speak. Slowly he closed his eyes in remorse and said in a cracked voice, "Yes..."  
Cynthia took a step back, "24...!" she whispered in disbelief.  
"You knowingly brought Barry into danger?" Saturn went on, circling 24 now.  
24's mouth felt dry as he replied with the same answer as before, "Yes."  
He knew now there was no point in trying to redeem himself; Cynthia no longer trusted him and it was likely Barry and Shivu wouldn't either once they woke up.  
Saturn gave a curt nod, pleased with 24's answers, "You've betrayed your so-called friends, 24. You've no place with them now. But with us, you do. You are, and always will be, a member of Team Galactic."  
Completely numb, 24 nodded.  
Above them the helicopter flew into view, its rotor blades fanning away the remaining smoke. A rope ladder was thrown down by the Galactic members within the chopper and Saturn mounted it.  
He turned to 24, "I won't make you come back with me 24." he called, "But back in Team Galactic you won't be hurting anyone else and we'll give you a purpose again."  
24 swallowed and looked up at him. He glanced back at Cynthia who had ordered her Milotic and Garchomp to pick up the two boys. She turned her head and looked at him, but 24 saw only pain and hatred in her eyes.  
There were no words anyone could have said that would have hurt 24 more than seeing that look in his friend’s expression.  
24 closed his eyes, unable to look at her any longer. His eyes pricked but whether from smoke or tears he couldn't be sure.  
He made his way towards Saturn, his head down and his heart heavy.  
24 climbed the rope ladder and Saturn put a hand on his shoulder, "A wise decision." he said before climbing up to the top.

The helicopter began to move off and 24 could only bring himself to look back once. Shivu seemed to have regained consciousness and looked up at him with a languid expression. 24 couldn't hear him but he saw his mouth move to the syllables of the number Team Galactic had given him.  
24 turned away and swallowed the lump in his throat. He climbed the ladder and allowed the two members by the hatch help him up. They closed the door and 24 didn't even bother finding a proper seat.  
He moved towards the back of the aircraft before he felt his legs couldn't hold him any longer and he sat on the floor, his back against the cold metal of the helicopter.  
He brought his legs up to his chin and buried his face in his knees. Quietly tears made his way down his face although he tried hard not to let them.  
24 had been in Team Galactic so long he'd forgotten how painful friendship could be.  
_"Cyrus was right..."_ 24 thought, _"Emotions do only bring pain..."_ He clenched his hands tightly, _"Then maybe I'm better off staying in a place that doesn't have them."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact; this Chapter was originally written on my netbook (not my main computer that I'm now on) but then it crashed and I lost all the data on it. There were only a few recently written documents not backed up (I back up a LOT) but I was concerned that this Chapter was one of those lost
> 
> Thankfully, with God shining on me, I found out I had backed it up on the main computer and I swear I was so delighted to find it!
> 
> Soooo trivia! 
> 
> *The first picture was the hardest by far, I think- I took many screenshots from the scene from The Lion King 2 "Simba Gets Ambushed" (you can look it up on YouTube!) which is where I got the idea to make the smoke that sort of greenish/yellow colour? I thought it was great because it looked thick and sickly and most importantly dead and ominous!  
> Careful looking it up though if you haven't seen it and still want to! You'll get spoilers :3
> 
> *For the second drawing I referenced the chopper from Team Galactic's helicopters in the anime- I didn't realise the darn things had their logo on the tail so you can't even see it in this picture xP I tried to match up the colours though XD
> 
> *Saturn's burn didn't originally exist- in fact none of the characters seemed to have suffered adverse injuries from Azelf's attack, but I wanted to change that because how else would the forest end up literally destroyed yet the people have nothing to show (barring some of them being knocked out of course) 
> 
> *The other thing was originally 24 got his full explanation to Shivu, which would back up what happens later (you'll see!) but I decided to make it so that he never got to tell anyone, leaving it up to Shivu to have to decide later whether 24 had intentionally thwarted them or not. More dramatic, y'know?
> 
> *Aaaand I have another book for you to read! Like I haven't given you enough already XD I should be a librarian! Anyway, check out A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan- fantastic book! The author is from the South of my home country too (and thus the way my country works she's not TECHNICALLY from my country, but she's on the same continent!)  
> I picked up her book from this bookshop up North where I live and I was told she'd been in doing book signings- the cashier said she was a really chill person! I hope one day I'll get to meet her, because I really love this book she's written ^w^ It IS a little colloquial though, and I believe a lot of you are American thus you might have some trouble understanding some of the things (like "mam" instead of "mum/mom") but it's not impossible to learn- you've got Google! Look it up! :D


	18. Spear Pillar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we get BUUUILLLLD UP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oddly enough, when I first published this chapter on FanFic.net I was also long overdue for an update, and the same thing applies here! Coincidence right? 
> 
> The differences applied that on FF I hadn't written this chapter prior to needing it- nearly every other chapter had at least part of the scenes written because that's how I go about putting together a story; I basically write the plot, then the more interesting parts first then write around that to complete it!   
> This time it was drawing that slowed me down; I know only one of these drawings has a background, but the first drawing was actually the hardest. 
> 
> But I'll talk about that later!  
> For now on with the story! :D

Throughout the next few days Team Galactic was working hard; sometimes well into the early hours of the morning. Work was set into overdrive since this was the last stage of Cyrus' plan and all the brainwashed members were happy to work themselves to exhaustion for their grand leader.

Soon through the power of the Lake Guardian's crystals they had successfully created the first Red Chain; the one that would control Palkia.

However after that there was a problem. Although the Guardians had the power to create one chain, they did not have the ability to make two.

Frustrated, Cyrus and the Commanders poured over Palmer's book and data about the Red Chain even more than they already had. Eventually, Cyrus came up with the solution to artificially create a second Chain.

More tough work followed as Team Galactic began to do the impossible; recreate a mystical item that should never have existed in the first place.

During the long working hours the Commanders noticed that on the few times that breaks were given, Charon would switch tasks from working on the Red Chain to instead building a small cube-shaped piece of equipment.

One day while the Commanders were in their break room, Saturn asked him what it was.

"This?" Charon glanced over only for a few moments before looking back down at a complicated-looking circuit board again, "I'm making a more powerful version of The Machine."

Jupiter seemed to perk up with curiosity, "What's the difference between that one and the old one?" she wondered.

"This one is portable for a start," Charon replied, tapping the base of the device with his screwdriver, "and I'm intending for it to be impossible to break out of its power."

"So this is for the members?" Mars confirmed, "Until the new world is brought about anyway?"

"Not quite," Charon replied, "It's…" the scientist hesitated, "It's in case Dialga and Palkia break out of the power of the Red Chain. I don't think they will," he added hastily, "but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"I don't see why you're bothering." Saturn muttered, "Cyrus says the Red Chains will work, and I believe him. Don't you have faith in him?"

"Well, still." Charon said evasively, "It won't do any harm to have this. I'm the one making it; it's not interfering with work on the Red Chain so Cyrus shouldn't complain."

"Wait, haven't you told him?" Saturn asked. Charon shook his head and Saturn went on, "Don't you think you should?"

"No!" cried Charon suddenly. The three Commanders looked at him in bewilderment.

"Err… The man's very busy at the minute," Charon went on, forcibly calmer than before, "I'll tell him before we head up to Spear Pillar, don't worry..."

The other Commanders seemed to accept this and soon the topic of conversation moved on to something more casual which Charon did not participate in.

In truth, this new Machine of his had been in the planning stages for many weeks before now. Charon looked up at his co-workers as they continued to talk, completely unaware of his ulterior motives.

Charon could not believe the Commanders were so foolish as to believe that his new invention would be used in Cyrus's favour.

\----

24 had been chained up to one of the work benches in the main lab. Saturn had suggested this when he thought 24 would revert back to his old ways of escaping at any given chance, once he'd recovered from the injuries received at the lake- Saturn decided that this way it would be easier to keep an eye on him.

Instead all the Commanders were surprised to see 24 allowing the members to chain him up without any trouble and since they had returned from the lake 24 had not spoken nor had he even seemed to contemplate escape.

Saturn had told Charon and the others what had happened at the lake with Barry and Shivu, so Charon was not surprised to see 24 feeling so down. In fact, when it had gotten dark the previous night and most everyone had retired for the night, Charon had heard 24 whimpering softly in his sleep over some bad dream, likely his mind repeating how he had helped Team Galactic instead of his friends.

Charon did not feel any sympathy towards him; he figured if it took 24 to be sad to not cause trouble, he would certainly not do anything to cheer him up.

It was early, the morning after Charon's talk with the Commanders in the break room.

Charon was working on his new Machine and Saturn was writing nearby- he was scribbling out some paperwork that would tell Cyrus how far on they had gotten in their plan since their leader rarely left his office.

Mars had come in to deliver some messages from the members; things needed in other labs that would have to be sent down and other similar requests.

She passed 24 and gave him a pitied look. 24 did not even look up at her, he sat hunched with his head down as if asleep but Mars suspected he was simply lost in a world of his own.

Mars stopped by Saturn's side and whispered, "Has 24 eaten anything yet?" She knew 24 had refused food since the lake incident.

Saturn shook his head without looking away from his papers.

Mars looked concerned, "If he doesn't eat something soon he's going to be really ill. Can I take him to the canteen? Maybe a walk will cheer him up."

Saturn glanced at her, acknowledging her presence properly. "If you bring some members with you in case he loses it again, I guess so. Just watch yourself."

"Thanks, Saturn," Mars said graciously.

"I don't care what happens to that trouble-maker," Saturn pointed out, "but I know Cyrus won't be happy if he falls seriously ill. That's the only reason I'm not telling you to just leave him,"

Mars sighed, annoyed but not surprised that her comrade didn't want to help a member in need. While it was true that 24 did nothing to help his image of being a problem, Mars also knew that Cyrus intended to help the people of the world and she wanted to aid him in this task- she might as well start with 24. She wanted him to see the good that Team Galactic wanted to bring.

She roused 24 from his distant state and told him where she was going to take him. 24 nodded half-heartedly and Mars carefully undid his chains, watching out for any of the familiar signs that 24 was going to try and run.

Instead 24 only stood up stiffly and flexed his sore muscles. Mars called over one of the members who was handing tools to Charon and after Charon gave him permission to leave, he approached.

Mars told him to keep an eye on 24 while she went to find two other members to be 24's guards.

24 looked up miserably as Mars left, but his eyes widened when he saw the member beside him was Looker.

24 frowned as a thought came to his mind.

"Looker," he hissed, giving the older man a poke on the shoulder.

Looker looked down at 24's touch, the same cloudy look in his eyes as 24 saw with every other member.

"Looker, can you to leave the base, just for an hour or two?" 24 asked hopefully, keeping his voice hushed in case someone around them heard.

Looker shook his head, "I cannot be leaving. I have a-many tasks to complete."

"Quiet!" 24 shushed him- Looker was speaking at a normal voice level, instead of taking like 24 and whispering, "Yes but only for a short time," he went on, "no one would even know you were gone. I just want you to check up on Shivu and Barry. I want to know they weren't too badly hurt after what happened at the lake,"

When Looker's expression didn't change 24 gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Please, Looker!" he hissed, trying to keep his rising voice down, "This is literally tearing me apart, not knowing if they're dead now or not!"

"No, I cannot," Looker repeated in the same monotone voice.

"Looker, these are your friends as much as I mine!" 24 felt fresh rage beginning to flow through his veins, "Don't you care about them?"

Looker turned fully towards him, fixing him with an awful blank stare. He spoke slowly and pointedly. "I only care for Team Galactic." Looker stated. Even with the lack of emotion in both his eyes and his voice, 24 couldn't believe that Looker would ever say such a thing.

He felt his anger boiling up again, becoming enraged at the inhumanity in Looker's voice, all because of Team Galactic.

"Fine!" 24 spat, not caring anymore how loud he shouted, "You can just stay here then you stupid…!" 24 lifted the first thing that came to his hand as he reached back towards the bench behind him, "mindless…!" he drew back a glass beaker, "SLAVE!" he threw the beaker with such force it hit Looker right on the side of his head, smashing into small parts and causing Looker to stumble back.

It didn't take a second for Saturn and the returning Mars to quickly dive forward to restrain 24 as he tried to inflict more damage on Looker with his bare hands.

The members that came with Mars helped and together they forced 24 to his knees as he continued to spit out insults towards Looker who was clutching the bleeding wound on the side of his head.

Saturn growled with frustration as he held 24's neck in a headlock, trying to hold him still. "That does it 24!" he shouted, "If you can't even stay quiet for more than a few days then I'm locking you up in solitary confinement!"

As 24 was dragged off howling in anger, Looker was standing shaking badly and gripping the bench hard as he struggled to remain standing upright.

"Oh great," muttered Charon, "yet another casualty!" The scientist sighed and lumbered off to get some medical supplies.

Looker blew out a puff of air and slowly raised his hand to the wound. "Oww…" he winced as he hand brushed his temple. The cut was tingling badly and Looker sat down on the floor- he was starting to feel nauseas and very, very peculiar…

 

\----

Back at Cynthia's apartment, Shivu was the first of the two boys to awaken after their ordeal. He had come around temporarily at the lake but the Gyro Ball attack had hit him hard and even now he still felt weak.

Cynthia had called the Elite Four's personal doctor to treat the two boys and had waited anxiously for a few hours until he had completed his treatment.

After that it was a matter of changing bandages and IV drips and playing the waiting game. Cynthia did not call Palmer in those 3 days since she knew his first impulse would be to rush down to his son. She understood his need to see Barry, but with Team Galactic within view of the apartment she could not be sure of the man's safety, especially with the connection he had with the Lake Guardians. She didn't know that Team Galactic had already moved on with their plan, away from the phase that included Barry and his father.

When Shivu awoke, Cynthia was relieved to finally have at least one person for company. It had been hard not being able to tell anyone about the deep guilt she felt about the failure to stop Team Galactic.

"How are you feeling?" Cynthia asked him.

"I'm fine," Shivu grumbled, kicking off the duvet that had been covering him. He swung his legs around the side of the sofa but did not attempt to stand up just yet. "Where's 24?" he asked as he examined a bandage wrapped around his torso- protection for the burn from the Gyro Ball attack on his ribs.

Cynthia winced, "You don't remember?" she ventured carefully.

"I do," Shivu snapped, "but I refuse to believe 24 would just change sides like that. He didn't betray us."

Cynthia looked at the young boy in sympathy. "I'm afraid there's no two ways about it; he definitely wasn't under the power of The Machine."

"You weren't there when we were members in Team Galactic," Shivu insisted, "24 hates that place and everything and everyone to do with it; he would never voluntarily side with them."

"Then what do you think 24 was doing at the lake?" Cynthia asked, becoming impatient with Shivu's refusal to see the truth, "he helped them by bringing Barry to Lake Valor."

"I think," Shivu replied in annoyance, "they threatened him. Team Galactic are like that; Charon in particular is like that. He threatened me when…" Shivu shut his mouth suddenly. He had been about to reveal the secret behind Cyrus' plan to release Dialga and Palkia- about how a third entity would appear when he did.

"When what?" Cynthia pressed.

Shivu glanced over at Barry and decided his friend should be safe enough in Cynthia's care for him to finally get the piece of information off his chest that had been weighing on him like lead.

"When I broke out of the Machine's power the first time," Shivu said at last, "I kept it a secret, as you know. Charon told me and 24 about Giratina, the Shadow Pokémon, and how it would appear when Cyrus brought forth Dialga and Palkia.

"He said it would destroy anything in its path. I tried to warn Cyrus but the Commanders stopped me and he threatened Barry's life if I tried again."

Shivu let out a long breath, feeling glad he had finally told somebody of his secret.

Cynthia's eyes widened and she gasped, "Giratina…" she whispered in horror.

Shivu nodded, "That's right." He noticed the familiarity in her voice, "Have you heard of it?"

Cynthia nodded as well. She sat down on the armchair near the balcony and put her head back against it. "Did Charon tell you how Dialga and Palkia imprisoned it and now guard it?" she asked.

"Yes," Shivu replied.

"The legend goes that Giratina was so violent that Dialga and Palkia had no choice." Cynthia went on, "And that Giratina couldn't help its destructive nature; that it was a danger to all who were near it." she sighed heavily, "If Charon is right and Cyrus does release it; it will destroy him too, no two ways about it."

Shivu sat bolt upright, "Then I was right to try and warn him!" he barked. He stood up and walked towards the balcony.

"Where are you going?" Cynthia wondered.

Shivu opened the French doors and let the evening air wash over him for a moment before replying. "I have to go and tell him," he said stubbornly, "if not for his sake, then for the rest of the world. If Giratina gets out we're all in danger!"

Cynthia stood up quickly, "No you are not." she growled sternly. "You've been hurt too badly; I won't risk your life again."

"It's my life; I'll risk it if I want!" Shivu snapped back.

"Not if I have anything to do with it!" Cynthia retorted.

Shivu stared hard at her for a moment, ready to challenge her further but then something dawned on him; Cynthia was not being angry and difficult for the sake of it. She was genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. He guessed that seeing him get injured not once but twice now because of her lack of action against Team Galactic had hurt her in ways he could not imagine.

Quickly, Shivu came up with a plan. He sighed and allowed his tense shoulders to relax. "Okay… You're right," he said softly, "I'm sorry, Cynthia."

Cynthia visibly calmed when he gave up on the idea to see Cyrus again. "That's alright… I'm sorry for shouting."

Shivu accepted her apology as she had his and made his way back to the sofa which apparently temporarily served as his bed.

"I'm going to sleep again," he said, "I'm kinda tired."

Cynthia nodded and retreated to her own room. Much later on, when Shivu was sure everyone would be well and truly asleep he snuck off the sofa and into Barry's room.

Barry was sleeping quietly, curled up in the blankets of the guest bed and as Shivu entered he immediately saw what he was after; on the bedside table was a single Poké Ball.

Shivu lifted it and crept back out to the living room. He lifted his Team Galactic shirt- the only shirt he had with him- and pulled it on for warmth, even though it now had a huge hole and a burn in it from Saturn's Bronzor. He moved quietly on to the balcony, before opening the doors and releasing the Pokémon inside.

Dragonite blinked blearily and rubbed one eye. "Sorry to wake you," Shivu whispered, "Dragonite, I need your help."

Dragonite grumbled indignantly and frowned.

"Please?" Shivu asked, "Just for one night," he glanced outside and remembered that it was technically early morning, "I mean, one day… For one day, I need you to listen to me, just treat me like Palmer or Barry- as if I'm your Trainer."

Dragonite did not look convinced and it flicked its tail with uncertainty.

"I guess you're not for this job then," Shivu shrugged nonchalantly and turned away. "I was looking for a brave Pokémon to help, after all."

Dragonite immediately let out a low rumble and blew out a cloud of smoke at Shivu.

"I wanted a fast and valiant Pokémon to fly me to Mount Coronet, but maybe I'll ask Cynthia's amazing Garchomp instead…" Shivu had barely finished his sentence when Dragonite swooped underneath him, scooping him into the air and heading immediately to the mountain which could be seen from all four corners of Sinnoh.

Shivu clung on awkwardly; he had never flown by himself on any Pokémon before. "Well I guess you do have something going for you!" he called and Dragonite puffed out a funny sound- a happy tone that, to Shivu, sounded like a train whistle.

Shivu made himself more comfortable on Dragonite's back, "Alright then," he pointed ahead to the very tip of the mountain top. "Let's go and save Cyrus!"

\----

Early the following morning, before the sun had even risen fully in the sky, Team Galactic's headquarters was alive with activity.

Saturn had been true to his word and thrown 24 into solitary confinement and had been none too gentle about it either.

24 found the cuffs around one of his wrists to be far too tight and thus he was kept awake by the pain. By the time morning rolled around 24 felt awful; he was hungry, exhausted and could barely feel his left hand where the cuff had bitten into him all night.

After some time the sun had just begun to shine on the edge of the horizon. 24 would not have known if the sun never rose; solitary confinement was a dark place with no windows, not intended to give anyone inside it any inkling of joy.

24 should know; Cyrus himself had locked him in here many times after he had gone lucid, sometimes for days at a time.

24 remembered one awful time when Charon had strapped a pair of headphones to his head and forced him to listen to the same droning track of music for hours on end. By the time Charon removed them, 24 felt as if his mind had become disconnected from his body and he could not get the awful tune- if it could even be called that- from his head for a long time afterward.

This time around, 24 had listened to nothing throughout the night but the sharp click of his chains when he moved and his own breathing, so when Mars entered the room he was immediately alert- or as alert as one could be when suffering from hunger pains and sleep deprivation.

"24?" she said softly, as if ensuring he was still there. 24 rolled his eyes; Mars could see him clearly enough from the light coming from the corridor, after all.

24 did not reply to her but Mars continued anyway, "It's time for us all to go to Mount Coronet, 24," she said, her voice rising with excitement, "Cyrus wants you to come along; it's time to create the new world!"

24 winced; this was it, after all this time. The end of the world he knew and loved. Now the end seemed to have come far too soon, despite his and his friends' best efforts to prevent it.

"I'm not going," he said, his voice cracking.

"You have to," replied Mars, "Cyrus has ordered it specifically; we all must go."

"I don't care, I'm not going," 24 repeated.

"You're going." said another voice behind Mars; Saturn, 24 realised, as he looked up. "If I have to drag you there by your hair,"

24 glared defiantly but the fire soon died down in his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh and hung his head. "Alright, whatever… Take me with you then, I suppose it won't make any difference."

Saturn brushed past Mars with four other members and unlocked the chains that held 24 before hauling him up.

One of the members clipped a metal band around 24's arms with a length of chain running from it and then held it as if his life depended on 24 not escaping this time.

They did not give him time to recover from the numbness in his legs and simply dragged him out. 24 thought briefly about making a break for it now but he was telling the truth when he had told Saturn that nothing he did would make a difference now.

Bowing his head in a sad acceptance, 24 eventually regained support from his legs and walked in between the members who held him firmly by the arms.

He noticed Saturn giving him an odd look; no doubt he had been counting down the seconds before 24 tried to run and was surprised that he had not yet.

24 ignored him, instead trying his best to focus on positive things in his mind; at least after Cyrus had created the new world there would be no more worry or guilt or that terrible feeling he still felt gnawing at him after what had happened to Shivu and Barry.

Somehow the thought did not make him feel better; he wanted only the pain to go away, not the happiness and everything else that went with it.

The members took him outside to a truck where he got into the back alongside them. The one who had been holding the chain attached to him left to drive the vehicle and thus Saturn picked a replacement- the first member he laid eyes on.

24 blinked in surprise when it was Looker who sat beside him and picked up the chain. 24 looked sadly at him, "Looker…?" he whispered, hoping the man would respond in some way.

24 heard the automatic doors to the truck close but Looker still did not return any words to him, instead staring ahead at the wall.

24 noticed the gauze pad that had been taped over his head wound and winced. "I'm… I'm sorry about your head," he went on, even though he knew it was hopeless, "And I'm sorry I called you a mindless slave…"

Looker still did not respond although his gaze moved to the floor- it was as if he had not even heard 24.

24 closed his eyes tightly, "And I'm so sorry we couldn't stop all of this…" he whispered.

24 said no more as the truck started up and began to move out of Team Galactic's ground.

The trucks rumbled on for some time, always ascending. 24 knew after about two hours they must be approaching the base of the mountain by now. Eventually the vehicles rolled to a stop and everyone got out.

Nearly everyone was given equipment to carry who had been in 24's truck and Saturn quickly made the decision to declare Looker as 24's guard for the trip up the mountain.

24 remembered he had been told a long time ago that the mountain was treacherous enough on foot; it was impossible for vehicles to go up its steep and winding path, so any travel from thereon in would be on foot.

While everyone else was getting ready to move out, 24 noticed Looker lifting his head to the sky suddenly as if something had caught his eye.

24 quickly followed his gaze and he thought he saw a blur of something orange dart past, but it was gone so quickly he could not have been sure.

Looker looked down again and 24 shrugged off the strange incident as a possible Flying-Type Pokémon, something that would not be uncommon in the lower parts of the mountains.

The road to the summit was long and winding and 24 figured would have lost his way on his own.

As they made their way in through the tunnels of the mountain and out on to its treacherous paths, Cyrus periodically stopped and allowed his Team to take a short rest.

Despite running them ragged in the base and despite his desire to get to the top as soon as possible, even Cyrus knew that his people had a physical limit and trekking the amazing height of the mountain in one go would only likely result in equipment or members being damaged, which Cyrus didn't want to risk.

As they continued on, 24 realised the temperature was dropping. 24 shivered as they stepped outside once more from a small tunnel and soon found out why- this path was covered in snow.

"It's freakin' freezing out here!" 24 muttered.

"Did you perhaps expect the summit of a mountain to be tropical?" asked Jupiter sarcastically, who was near.

Since Looker and 24 were placed near the front of the large group, close behind each of the Commanders and Cyrus who was leading, 24 chose not to respond at all but rather frowned inconspicuously at Jupiter's comment.

After a while Charon had begun to wheeze from the exertion of climbing and the cold combined. "Don't wear yourself out gramps," said Saturn slyly, in a rare moment of fun, "Hey; if you want to wait here I'm sure we could create the new world without you?"

Charon rasped something incoherent although 24 thought it sounded like something a less-than-model citizen of Cyrus' new world would say. Cyrus seemed to think so too, as he shot the man a glare.

After a few long hours, they soon reached the summit and Cyrus immediately began giving orders, "Alright," he barked sharply, "Those with computer equipment, set it up over there," he pointed to a big slab of rock that would serve as an adequate computer table.

"Those with scanners and similar objects, over there," he directed a smaller group towards the edge where they had come up, directly opposite a large area surrounded by pillars.

24 now understood why the summit was dubbed Spear Pillar; a fact that he had often thought about but never bothered to find an answer to. The pillars were in ruins now, some broken down to mere stumps and others eroding at the edges. But the spark in Cyrus' eyes made it clear he did not see it as a ruin, but the gateway to his new and perfect universe.

While everyone was busy, Charon sidled up to a member whose number was 74, "Did you put my device where I asked?" 74 gestured subtly to Charon's second version of The Machine. It was in between the scanners and apparently went unnoticed to those around it.

"Everything in full working order, 74?" asked Charon.

74 gave a blank nod.

"Good man," Charon patted his shoulder. He looked up at Cyrus, "A new world isn't overly interesting, you know, 74… What of it? If Cyrus is right, then Team Galactic will rule that new world. That's when it will be interesting…" he chuckled darkly, "But if that Shadow Pokémon makes an appearance, well… I look forward to whatever will happen to our beloved leader…"

Meanwhile, Cyrus placed his hand to the cool stone of one of the pillars. A whistling wind blew through his hair and Cyrus moved to the very edge of Spear Pillar where he could look out to a large part of Sinnoh.

"Soon, there will be no more pain…" he murmured.

Below, his eyes caught the movement of something orange swooping through the cloud that swirled around the mountain top. Cyrus's icy eyes narrowed when he realised it was coming towards him.

Suddenly the clouds parted and a Dragonite shot past him into the air above. It roared loudly causing all of the members and Commanders to turn at the unexpected sound.

Cyrus stepped back quickly as the dragon landed, its snout wrinkled into a snarl and its claws and wings spread in a display of anger.

Cyrus briefly wondered if they could have somehow disturbed its home (though he was certain he saw no signs of any big Pokémon living this high up the mountain) until he saw a small shape jump from its back.

Cyrus blinked as he recognised Shivu, the member who was probably the youngest of Team Galactic who had ran away.

Behind everyone, Charon tensed beside 74 and in response, 74 lifted one of his Poké Balls.

"No, not yet," Charon muttered under his breath, pushing 74's hand down.

Cyrus peered at Shivu with something almost like curiosity, "So," he boomed, "you decided to return after all? Well, I am not an unkind man and will not turn you away now. You may follow us into the new world as a member of Team…"

"I'm not here for that," Shivu interrupted.

Cyrus tipped his head slightly, "No?"

"No." Shivu confirmed, "I'm here to give you a warning; when you release Dialga and Palkia…" Shivu caught a burning glare from Charon but continued with barely any hesitation, "then another Pokémon is going to be released too. It's called Giratina, the Shadow Pokémon."

Cyrus's expression did not change. "And what do you suppose will happen when this 'Giratina' appears?"

"I don't know," Shivu admitted, "but it won't be good for you or anyone else, I know that much."

Charon's eyes blazed with rage and he quickly pushed his way to the front of the crowd to stand near Cyrus.

"The legend is nothing more than that- a legend, and old story that never did exist." Charon hissed.

Cyrus turned to him, "You know what this boy speaks of?" he asked.

"Yes, and likely he picked up what he's saying from me," Charon glared daggers at Shivu who paled as they made eye contact, "I researched it for a short time," Charon continued, "I thought perhaps there was something to it, but there is not. It's just a story, that's why I didn't tell you before now."

"No!" Shivu insisted, "That's not…"

"And this boy," Charon growled like he hadn't spoken, "is only trying to prevent the dawning of your new and perfect world, sir!"

Shivu shook his head, denying what Charon was saying but he knew the final decision would be Cyrus's. The tall man cast his dark eyes first over Charon and then over Shivu.

Cyrus then turned to Shivu and for one elated moment, Shivu thought this meant he believed him.

"I will not halt my plans on the words of one mere member- or boy, since you have denied yourself the benefit of standing with us." Cyrus stated in a low voice. Shivu's face was a picture of horror and he reeled back as Cyrus commanded, "Mars, Jupiter; take him and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble during the ritual."

"No!" Shivu cried. Mars and Jupiter had already moved forward during Charon's speech and easily pounced forward now.

Dragonite quickly flapped in front of Shivu, determined to protect him as he would Palmer or Barry just as Shivu had requested.

Jupiter and Mars each threw out their own Pokémon from their Poké Balls; a Bronzong and Bronzor respectively.

"Oh no not those things again…" Shivu gulped.

Jupiter and Mars commanded them both to use the same move, Gyro Ball. The attacks hit Dragonite hard but it still stood and tried to use Dragon Tail. Its move did not do as much damage in return, since Dragon-Type moves had a big disadvantage to Steel-Types as Bronzong and Bronzor were.

Shivu had slipped behind Dragonite and let it do most of the battling since Shivu did not know any of its moves. But soon Bronzong hit it with a Rock Slide attack which finally knocked the big dragon to the ground.

Before Mars and Jupiter could approach its unconscious form, Shivu quickly returned it and made to bolt down the steep side of the mountain.

He was not sure if the sheer cliff face below would provide any safe means of escape but anywhere was better than with Team Galactic.

But when Shivu leapt into the air, preparing to jump over the edge, Mars grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back on to the rocky ground.

Shivu twisted around underneath her and scratched her hard in the face. When Mars jerked backwards, Shivu shot out from under the Commander only to be tackled back to the ground by Jupiter who held him down with much more strength than Mars had used.

Mars regained her composure before swiftly assisting Jupiter in holding Shivu still.

"Good job." Cyrus said, "Bring him over to 24 and keep him there."

Jupiter and Mars each nodded and dragged Shivu over. 24 lifted his head as they approached.

"Glad to see you're alive!" 24 breathed once Shivu was in earshot, "But I don't know why you bother with that man…" he went on in a hiss, "he's far too obsessed with this new world of his to listen… Still, it's a brave effort, bro."

Shivu shook his head miserably, "He's going to die…" he whispered, "I just know he's going to die…"

Even Jupiter and Mars were starting to look a little unnerved at Shivu's certainty of his words.

Shivu noticed Looker holding on to 24's chain and gave him a small nudge with his foot, "Looker…?" he murmured.

"He can't reply, little dude," 24 said sadly, "he's under their control now."

Shivu winced and hung his head again, "Then this really IS it…" his voice cracked as the horrible realisation came over him, "There's no one to help us… Team Galactic has won."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry Shivu; Barry and Cynthia can still help! Maybe... Possibly... I mean Barry is virtually comatose at the moment but... Positive thoughts!
> 
> Training some Trivia...
> 
> *The picture I mentioned having trouble with is the one where Looker is getting a good smash on the head from the beaker. I don't know why but I just for the life of me could NOT get it right. Every angle I tried, it didn't work- there wasn't enough force in it and so on. I'm STILL not 100% happy with it!   
> But hey, it needed to be updated so XD 
> 
> *The line in which Jupiter "perks with curiosity" at Charon's New Machine was originally Saturn's line, then Saturn's line of "Cyrus says it will work and I believe him" was going to be Jupiter's; I swapped it around since I forgot who's personality was who's for the moment XD Saturn is supposed to be the hard-core Cyrus fan and Jupiter is more knowledgeable and calm, I guess? I'd forgotten that, so I swapped it around so it makes more sense for their characters hopefully :3
> 
> *I originally had Palmer making an appearance in this chapter but tbh it just ended up very bad for the story's flow; there was a scene in which he and Cynthia have an argument about Cynthia's lack of care toward Barry and Palmer then takes Barry home which encourages Cynthia's actions later with Shivu
> 
> -As I said, this interrupted the flow of the story and made it very clunky, and also there was the questions raised... Oh that's nice Palmer, take Barry away from the danger but just leave Shivu and Dragonite, you're so kind. Then there's also a thing that happens later that would be tricky to have happening if Barry was not with Cynthia :P
> 
> *It seems so far Looker has not got a number either! Poor guy, he works so hard for Team Galactic and they don't even give him the time of day... I guess his number would be... Well, I'm not sure tbh! I mean the first part of Looker's name would be "two" I supposed and then "ker" would rhyme with "four" I guess? You see the problem is you don't pronounce "24" as "two-four" you say "twenty-four" since Team Galactic just keeps use of the normal numeric system and doesn't add dashes or letters. And, of course, there can't be two 24s!  
> Of course his name also kind of rhymes with "New Car" so... Hmm. 
> 
> *What 24 explains about happening to him in solitary confinement with Charon and the music is a part of a deleted scene that was supposed to take place now- essentially 24 was supposed to be tortured for a bit then decide that Team Galactic had won because of that. Although it gave me a moment to really explore exactly what Team Galactic did in regards being downright evil, it just wasn't good enough- I wanted 24 to decide for himself that Team Galactic had won by how their plan was progressing and by how he failed, as opposed to because they force him to see it that way.
> 
> -I did, however, do some research into methods of brainwashing (which is something you DON'T want to be searching at 2am, trust me!) and one of them was a hypnotic technic which was repetitive music- apparently it has to be at the beat of your heart to work properly or something? So that's what 24 was trying to describe- essentially Charon was trying to hypnotise him into obedience, but I guess it didn't work all that good :P


	19. The Shadow Pokemon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which AAAAAAAAAAAA happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I originally uploaded this chapter to FF.net I was heading to my local con and would you believe the powers that be have a sense of humour! Cos just a few days ago I ordered plane tickets and con tickets for a con in Holland- yep, I'm off to see my dear friend! They used to write here under DeQuidt mostly for Faba, their RP muse at the time :3   
> How can I afford this? Well I got a job! :D I've probably mentioned this before but I'm in a decent enough job for the meantime c: In September though I'm off to study for my 'real' job! Wheee!!

Cyrus stood in between the large pillars at the edge of Mount Coronet’s summit, gazing at the sky, behind him Charon had quietly finished setting up The New Machine with 74’s assistance.

“It’s time,” Cyrus hissed. Turning to his team he said, “Bring me the Red Chains!”

Saturn and Charon lifted two shoebox-sized crates and brought them over to their leader. Saturn opened the container and carefully lifted out the first Red Chain and Charon did the same with the artificial one. When Saturn handed Cyrus his, he bowed deeply in respect but when Charon gave his own over it took a sharp look from Saturn to get him to bow as well.

Cyrus didn’t seem to notice either way and turned back to face the spear-like pillars, holding the two Red Chains in both hands.

He stood tall and prepared, “Everything is ready for the creation of the new world. Now, all will end. And my new world will begin.”

He held up one hand, “With this, the Red Chain made from the crystals of the three lake Pokémon.” and then the other, “And this, the Red Chain we replicated with technological means... With these Red Chains I will open the portal to another dimension,”

Cyrus looked up to the sky, “I command that you unleash your power for me- Dialga and Palkia!"

A bit further back behind him, Shivu suddenly jerked his head upright and began tipping it from side to side.

“What?” whispered 24, “What’s wrong?”

“I hear something…” Shivu replied in a hushed tone, “It’s like a Pokémon’s call but…” he trailed off as a rumbling began to shake Spear Pillar. The Chains were beginning to whirl around Cyrus, spinning faster and faster till they were just bands of glowing red.

Two portals appeared and with a swirling spectrum of colours. They grew larger before taking the form of two huge Pokémon- one blue and quadruped, the other mauve and bipedal.

"Dialga, the mythical Pokémon, and the master of time!” cried Cyrus, grinning in an almost mad glee as he looked to the blue one, “...And Palkia, the mythical Pokémon, and the master of space and dimensions!" he looked to the other. 

Cyrus threw his arms wide, the chains moving to swirl around his outstretched hands. "I've waited so long for this moment, Dialga and Palkia. Shaping this world is a double spiral of time and space; the very things that you have the ability to control!” his voice lowered to a growl, “You will do as I command! I will have your abilities as mine! With the power I wield, I will create an entirely new world,”

Dialga and Palkia writhed and twisted as the power of the Red Chain fell upon them. Then, almost eerily in unison, they both froze and looked up, watching Cyrus intensely for his command.

His eyes blazing with delight, Cyrus looked up at the two legends, “The incomplete world we have now can disappear.” he explained, “I am resetting everything to zero. Nothing can remain. It is all for making the ultimate world; a world of complete perfection, a world where there will be  _no more_  pain of emotions!”

 

* * * * *

 

Earlier that morning when Cynthia had woken up she could not find Shivu in his makeshift bed. She didn’t worry too much; the boy was probably in the kitchen. She worried much more when she realised he was not there either or anywhere in the apartment.

The Elite Four’s doctor dropped by again to check on Barry and Cynthia left him in his care to search for Shivu outside.

It was then that she noticed the trucks leaving from Team Galactic’s headquarters. She watched the vehicles suspiciously then quickly dashed back inside.

The doctor was preparing to leave and Cynthia dismissed him and went into Barry’s room. She searched around the dressing table but could not find Barry’s Dragonite.

She hissed through her teeth in annoyance; Shivu had probably seen the preparations Team Galactic were making and left on Barry’s Dragonite to see if he could help Cyrus. Of course, this was not quite what had happened but either way Cynthia had come to the correct conclusion that Shivu had gone after the nefarious Team and now she had to follow suit, lest the child come to any harm.

She heard the sound of stirring and looked up at the bed. “Barry…?” she murmured.

The boy had opened his eyes and was looking at her, almost puzzled. Then his eyes brightened and he sat up and gave his head a shake, as if he were doing nothing more than awakening from a normal night’s rest.

“Woah!” he croaked, “What hit me?”

“Oh thank Arceus you’re alright!” Cynthia sighed with relief.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Barry shrugged in a blasé manner, “Where’s Shivu…?” Barry asked.

Cynthia sighed again, this time with exasperation, “Gone.” she replied and explained.

Barry sat up immediately, “We have to go help him!”

“ _I_ have to go help him,” Cynthia corrected,  _“You_  have to rest. Your wounds have healed well, but you’re still hurt,”

Barry shook his head, “Cynthia, he’s my best friend,” he reasoned, “besides if you don’t let me come, I’ll just make like Shivu and find another way.” his words were not threatening but Cynthia didn’t doubt that Barry would follow Team Galactic on a pogo stick if it was the only means of transportation he could find.

There was a pause from Cynthia. “You’ll need to get dressed before you go anywhere,” she said at last, “Team Galactic are likely headed to Mount Coronet and it’s pretty cold up there.”

Barry nodded graciously, “Thank you Cynthia,” he breathed and Cynthia left the room while he pulled on his clothes.

It wasn’t long before the two were ready and Cynthia released her Garchomp. “Garchomp,” she said, “we need you to Fly!” Garchomp nodded and lowered herself to the ground so Cynthia and Barry could mount her, and then she charged off the balcony and into the sky.

Cynthia had lost sight of the trucks but she knew where to go; Spear Pillar.

 

* * * * *

 

“…I am resetting everything to zero. Nothing can remain. It is all for making the ultimate world; a world of complete perfection, a world where there will be no more pain of emotions!”

These were the words which echoed around the summit as Cynthia and Barry landed on Mount Coronet. They were well behind Team Galactic, hidden at the back of some large rocks.

Barry’s mouth dropped open as he saw Dialga and Palkia floating in the air above Cyrus.

“We’re too late!” he squeaked.

Before Cynthia could do anything to try and stop Cyrus, she heard a sudden scuffle not too far off. She caught sight of Shivu trying to pull away from Jupiter and Mars who held him.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mars hissed.

“I can hear another Pokémon!” Shivu replied, “Can’t you hear it?”

“No,” Jupiter growled, “but if you don’t be quiet, I’ll be sure no-one will be hearing  _you_ for a long time!”

The chains were spinning so fast now that a faint whistling could be heard as Cyrus turned to face Shivu and 24. As if on cue, Mars and Jupiter brought him forward and Looker followed them with 24.

“Now, Shivu, 24,” Cyrus rumbled, “you've constantly interfered with my plans, but you will be forgiven, whether or not you want to be with us. After all, no spirit will remain for all time when I am done.  _Everything_ problematic will disappear. It will be ripped away... From you! From 24! From those precious to you...!” his voice hitched in his throat as he said those words but he quickly continued, “It is time! My dream will be my reality!"

He fixed 24 and Shivu with his piercing stare, the light from the Red Chains coiling from his hands reflecting in his eyes turning them scarlet. Likewise, Dilaga and Palkia’s eyes pulsed the same shade as they swung their massive heads around in time with Cyrus.

Suddenly, the air behind him began to crackle like fire. Cyrus turned as the sound grew louder. Blotches of a dark ink-like substance began to appear on the ground at his feet, as if the stone itself was bleeding black blood.

The spots grew in size until they covered the ground in a huge hole and Cyrus had to step back to avoid falling into it.

From its darkest depths appeared a pair of blood-red eyes and a mouth that was stretched into a haunting grin.

The creature blinked and rose from the earth- as it did so a wave of energy was sent from it which bent and warped the pillars at either side.

“Interesting,” said Cyrus, his voice sounding echoed and distant from the strange power that surrounded the creature, “So, there  _is_  a Pokémon that can only appear as a shadow."

“Charon!” barked Saturn, “you said that thing didn’t exist!”

Charon did not reply; he was too busy watching in glee as the nightmarish beast rose from the earth, its dead eyes watching Team Galactic’s leader.

Barry couldn’t believe his eyes but it was Cynthia who whispered, “It can’t be…”

Shivu stared at the creature in pure horror; at face-value, it was truly nothing more than an evil black smoke with empty red eyes. It was certainly not made for this world.

Even Mars and Jupiter left Shivu and backed away, their terrified gazes fixed on the monster.

“Cyrus, get away from that,” Shivu said in no more than a hoarse whisper.

"Regardless, the effort for it now to escape its prison is rash and foolish.” said Cyrus, ignoring or not hearing Shivu. “I have harnessed the powers of Dialga and Palkia... I am a god." Cyrus went on, turning his back on the Pokémon as if it were nothing more than a harmless Caterpie.

“Cyrus, get away!” said Shivu; louder this time.

Cyrus didn’t move. The Shadow Pokémon unfolded a pair of black wings, tipped with red spikes.

“The power of a god is something nothing, not even this shadow can trifle with,” Cyrus sneered.

Behind him the Pokémon’s spikes began to move up the wings till they looked more like clawed hands.

 “Cyrus!” Shivu screamed, “RUN!”

"Why should I run?” laughed Cyrus, “I am a god now! I, Cyrus, won't have any more interfere--!” That was as far as his sentence got before the Pokémon pounced forward with unnatural speed and grabbed him, destroying the chains in the process and releasing Dialga and Palkia. The two dragons collapsed to the ground from where they had been hovering, spent of energy.

Giratina dragged Cyrus along the ground, tearing his clothes and skin, before raising him in the air high above Spear Pillar, displaying the bloodied man like a trophy and shaking the ground with its mighty cry.

As soon as the Pokémon made contact with him, Cyrus could hear its voice; “My name,” it snarled with distorted and torn words, “Is Giratina! And I have been waiting for you, Leader of Bright Sunlight, ever since you captured the Lake Guardians, I felt your desire! You try to create a ‘perfect’ world…”

Cyrus froze and for the first time in a long time felt genuine fear. Giratina fixed its gaze on one of the members who was nearer the front, “…Well, Allow me to show you what your perfection is doing…”

It was at that point Cyrus heard a voice in his head- the voice of the member Giratina was focusing on; 11, Cyrus remembered her name was. Standing next to the petrified Saturn, she displayed no facial expression but her mind cried for the loss of her freedom. She hadn’t seen her beloved husband in almost a year and she thought he probably presumed her dead.

Cyrus didn’t even know 11 had a husband- or rather, he had never thought about it. He hadn’t wanted to.

One girl had her friends- best friends since childhood- who had thought Team Galactic was strange and begged her not to leave her home region, but she had and hadn’t seen them since. 

Giratina turned to another member- one who cried for the loss of her children who would never know what happened to their mother. Another had no one but his pet- a Growlithe puppy who had never stopped waiting for the owner who left the house one day to work and had never come back.

Number 126, Cyrus now realised, was alone but for his grandparents; his grandmother had been ill when he had left to join Team Galactic to get money to help support her medical needs and now 126 did not know if she was even still alive. Cyrus could almost  _feel_ 126’s pain and it made him tremble. It hit too close to home for Cyrus.

He shook his head in an attempt to scatter those awful memories he had buried long ago. “Stop!” he cried, “Don’t show me anymore!”

Cyrus couldn’t believe what he was hearing- each member was silent on the outside; they acted pleased for him but on the inside they were fully aware of what they had become, and they were distraught by it.

“But why…?” Cyrus whispered, “Can’t they see it’s better this way? That they’re perfect like this?”

Giratina let out a low growl, “You thought you were creating a paradise but you forgot one thing; in your world no one’s happy, no one’s hopeful. No one’s great and wonderful ideas are heard. The people in your world are sad and by silencing their words you don’t change that fact.” It glared at Cyrus with its horrible, empty eyes, “You can put them under all the mind control you want but there’s one thing, Leader of Bright Sunlight, you can never destroy- their memories of those they care about.” Giratina grinned,“Now, it’s time you joined me back in  _my_  own world.”

All this conversation had only taken a few seconds to everyone else. “What is that thing doing to him?” 24 wondered aloud. A second later a blur of grey and blue rushed past his peripheral. 24 and Looker turned their heads at the same time to see Shivu bolting towards Cyrus.

“Shivu!” cried 24, pulling hard against Looker, “Get back here!”

The boy reached Giratina and leapt up, “LET HIM GO!” he shouted.

Giratina grinned, “And here’s the one who’ll be joining  _you,”_  it said.

“No…” Cyrus looked down at Shivu, “Get out of here!” he cried, “Go away!”

But Shivu wasn’t listening, determined to rescue Cyrus. With its other clawed hand, Giratina grabbed Shivu and began to move back into the portal from which it came.

“SHIVUUUU!” A cry came from the other end of the summit. Shivu looked up to see Barry sprinting towards him. Giratina saw him too and opened its mouth with a powerful attack- Shadow Force.

The purple and black lightning bolt would have likely killed Barry had it hit him, but Shivu guessed the attack was only a warning since it flashed well over his head. Nonetheless, it caused Barry to dodge out of reflex and hit the ground.

Giratina let out a final roar and disappeared into the portal, its call echoing eerily behind it.

“NOOO!” Barry’s despaired cry rang around the summit as he rushed forwards but the portal closed over swiftly. “SHIVU!” he yelled.

“Cyrus!” whispered Mars taking a step forwards.

“Master Cyrus!” howled Saturn, who jumped over the rocks and towards Barry finally shaken from his terrified paralysis. They stood side-by-side and gazed at the smoking ground were Giratina had disappeared through.

“They’re gone…” Barry wailed, “Oh, they’re gone!”

Behind them all, Charon sneered.

“They  _are_  gone,” he said under his breath. He stroked the metal on his New Machine and a grin spread across his face. “Just as I predicted…” he sniggered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *stands over you at cliffhanger* *whispers* long live the king... *throws you off cliffhanger*
> 
> A lot happens in such a short Chapter! Poor Cyrus and Shivu! As you may have guessed, their being pulled into the Distortion World (that's hardly a hidden fact) but what will happen there? Why has Giratina put them there? Questions whose answers are in the next Chapter!  
> I'm getting pretty hyped myself but also scared; there are only three more Chapters left before the end now! *flailing* but, I promise, they're filled with action!
> 
> Now, time for some tick-tock-trivia! (that's gotta be the worst one yet...)
> 
> *The fact that Shivu can hear Giratina when no one else can is something I hint lightly on a lot in the Counting Stars comic; essentially Shivu often has little premonitions before bad things happen.  
> It's not something I directly point out (mostly because I don't want Shivu to be that special snowflake character) but it's something he himself doesn't seem to question- it's just something he has that he does (later in the comic) learn to trust but it's never a main part of the story :P Just a little part of a 6th sense I guess
> 
> * Of course a lot of Cyrus' dialogue here is taken from the games- thanks to Bulbapedia for providing those quotes. I changed them around a bit, I mean, is it just me or do the Pokémon games have a really strange way of speaking? It's almost confusing but I guess that's what happens when you translate a completely different language like Japanese to English :P
> 
> *Giratina's words (in Word Document) have the font HP PSG to match how I described its voice as distorted- unfortunately they cannot be seen here ;o; So just imagine some lovely text when it speaks!
> 
> *Notice how Charon is the one who hands Cyrus' the fake Chain? That's not a coincidence; it's meant to foreshadow how Charon is the one being fake here, while Saturn hands Cyrus the genuine Chain symbolising, of course, how he is with Cyrus all the way.
> 
> *Cyrus mentions #11 again; you may remember her from earlier in the story as she's one of the members who chases 24 in "Chaos in the Corridor"- her name was Helen :P
> 
> -I feel like I may have been a tad sexist when choosing which gender of members should worry about what? It wasn't a conscious decision, obviously, but like the two woman members whom Giratina targets are worried for their husband and children respectively, but then again 126 is worried for his grandparents which means they all have a link to family of some kind- I swear this was my intention XD
> 
> -I did however add in something extra to hopefully balance it out! Which is the member with the puppy and the girl with her friends XD Y'all ever seen Budweiser's as "Someone Waits For You At Home"? It's a PSA about not drinking and driving and listen, LISTEN   
> I cry every time I watch that. I'm crying right now because I just watched it. If you've never watched it go do it now and probably cry also XD It's a brilliant ad! But really sad! And thus I thought I'd tug on your heartstrings a little and remind everyone that it wasn't just family members who were lost


End file.
